


A Slave for Life

by Kaminx



Series: A Slave to Love [1]
Category: Ai no Kusabi
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Alternate Universe - Shapeshifters, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Angst and Tragedy, M/M, Magic-Users, Romance, Shapeshifting, Violence, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-18
Updated: 2017-01-18
Packaged: 2018-09-18 08:10:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 28
Words: 125,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9375983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaminx/pseuds/Kaminx
Summary: Prince Iason goes to a Slave Auction one day and stumbles upon a mongrel. Intrigued by the fierce beast, he takes it back to his castle in hopes of making him a slave and ridding himself of boredom. Will he be able to tame his new slave to be proper or will he fall in love with him? Rated M for violence and intimate scenes between Iason and Riki. Also is an AU.





	1. The Day We Met

"Your Highness, we have many slaves here today," the puny and plump man wearing a bright red, tight and puffy shoulder tunic grinned, walking down the corridor with a confidence in each step. His greasy and stubby fingers gestured to the cells around the corner, "These were picked up a week ago, they are very young, lively and not to mention pleasing to the eyes. Hence why they are inside." Inside the cell were several youth of females and males chained to the walls with black iron links, each one laid on the floor, exposing themselves in hopes of catching some noble's eyes and be given another life outside of the walls.

"What about that one, Iason?" Prince Raoul suggested, pointing to a women with long sandy hair; she opened her legs in hopes of enticing the two gentlemen to pick her up and take her to bed immediately.

"That is a fine one," the gross man commented, analyzing the girl, "She is clean too. No diseases."

"Not my type," Prince Iason murmured, "I don't want another whore."

"Iason," Prince Raoul hissed, pulling him away from the business man, "What is wrong with you? You're choosing now to be gloomy? You need a new slave. Stop moping around and find one, or else you'll be a laughing stock."

"I would, Raoul," he breathed in frustration, grabbing onto the opening of his black cloak, "But there are none in these cells that appease me." None of them even intrigued him to waste more than a hair of a second looking at them. He was tired and annoyed of all the same slaves. Each one was trained to be obedient, but they all seemed to lack something.

"Then let us go elsewhere," the fellow Prince suggested, tugging him along through the crowd. He led him to an area of slaves, row after row, future bed warmers and servants stood as they waited for someone to take them home.

"You! Get back in line!" a guard shouted, cracking his whip; the sound of it hitting flesh met the blonde's ears followed by a small groan of protest. "You dirty thing! Get. Back. In. Line!" the guard hollered even louder, cracking his whip down with each word for emphasis.

That was when he laid eyes on him. An average height boy, about eighteen years old, strong build, toned muscles, smooth skin...and dark features. 'A mongrel...' he trailed internally. It was rare to find anymore of them. They were dying out because of famine and disease in their homelands. There were only a handful left and even then they were fleeing to new places, and there happened to be one before him; would this opportunity ever come to him again? He strode over, gripping onto the man's arm as he goes to crack down the whip again. "Enough," he ordered in a husky breath.

The man turned pale, "Y—your Highness," he sputtered, lowering his head to the Prince. "I did not mean to disturb you, this mongrel was misbehaving and needed to be dealt with."

His blue eyes sized up the boy, what an intriguing beast. The mongrel gritted his teeth as he met his eyes, radiating a 'What are you looking at?' vibe. "What are the boy's charges?" he inquired, stepping forward to closer observe the boy. He used his boot to lift up the mongrel's chin as another guard held his head up by his hair. The muscles bulged in the boy's neck as he scowled and snarled at the blonde. 'You are a vicious one...'

"He was caught stealing from a merchant," the guard explained, reading off the description from his list, "And has been accused of stealing before, but now has been caught in the act. He is a slave for life for his crimes."

"Hmm," he mused, staring down at the glaring mongrel, "Interesting."

"One second, please," Prince Raoul piped up, ripping Iason away and off to the side, "Are you insane?!"

"It's a mongrel, Raoul," he defended, gesturing to him, "They are practically extinct."

"But this one is a troublemaker," he hissed, trying to talk some sense into the fool, "You can't honestly be thinking of bringing that back to the castle, Iason?"

"I'd rather take that than another whore," he snapped, "I want something fresh. Something new and challenging." He pointed his gloved hand to the struggling boy, "And this offers all of that!"

"You are a fool," Prince Raoul groaned, pressing his hands gracefully to his temple.

"Oi!" the guard yelled as the boy thrashes around, trying to get away; he raised his whip. Iason stepped in between them, shifting to behind the boy so that he was grasping firmly onto him from behind. "Y—your Highness!"

"What is your name, boy?" he rumbled in the wild cat's ear.

"Riki," he spat venomously, refusing to add an honorific to respond to this son of a bitch noble; in return a guard used a switch and smacked him across his free hand, causing him to jolt in pain.

"And how old are you?" he pressed on, tightening his grip on the boy; he felt the struggle die out of him slightly.

"Eighteen," he hissed, adding in the tiniest and bitter breath, "Sir."

He let go, the guards regaining their task of holding him back. The gloved hands trailed along the tanned skin, down the opening of the tear in his ratty tunic, and stopped midway down his chest; the boy was strong, probably a fighter and leader. He would be a new task, a new toy to train; that would disperse his boredom, would it not?

"Iason," Raoul hissed, trying one final time to make his brother reconsider. "He has no skills in being a slave. You'd have to train him, that takes time which you don't have! Get someone experienced."

"I've decided," he breathed, gripping onto the boy's chin, "You're the one." He stared at the guard, "What happens to him if he's not sold by today?" The guard silently demonstrated a noose being hung around his neck; taking that as his sign to seal the deal he nodded. "Well boy, either you come with me or you're dead. So what will it be? Will you choose me over death?" he questioned in a harsh voice, "You'll be my personal slave. You'll dress me, bathe me, care for my clothing, serve me my meals and warm my bed. And I can do with you what I please; punish you, harm you, and kill you if I wish. I will own you body and soul, your everything will become mine. Do you choose me over death by the end of the day?"

He hesitated, but fell down to his knees; he didn't plan on dying by the end of the day. His hope was to escape from his new master once given an opening, he would play the part, but when given the chance he would flee and join his dying race once again.

"Kiss my boot, boy, and our deal shall become sealed," he ordered, watching the mongrel struggle with his pride. He gritted his teeth, staring up with eyes of hate, before lowering his head and kissing the leather. "Good job, boy. You belong to me now."

—

"You are a fool," Prince Raoul murmured for the hundredth time; he stared back at Iason with shame in his eyes as their third horse holds the mongrel his brother purchased. "Did you make sure he was tied up?" he questioned, checking out the ropes around the boy.

"Yes," Iason replied, "He's practically part of the saddle." His blue eyes drifted back to the boy who was staring down at his hands, he hoped that the rope wouldn't cut off the circulation from being so tight. He studied his new possession with a careful eye, yes, this boy would be amusing. His pride as a dying race would make things more interesting, he had made a wise decision today. He was sure of it.

—

"By almighty, what have you brought back that stinks of death?" Maria screeched, grabbing the Prince's cloaks and hanging them up. Her eyes fell upon the bound slave, "A mongrel...I thought they had all died off during the plague..." Her eyes further observed him, "He's skin and bones! I'll get back to the kitchen and prepare you all a hearty meal!"

"Don't forget to bring out the wine," Prince Raoul reminded the servant, before he turned back to Iason, "That needs to be cleaned before supper."

"I know," he breathed, grabbing onto the ropes, "Come." He gave a tug on the rope that is around the boy's neck and led him through the castle to his room. "You will be bathed by my other servants, then I shall take you to eat with me." He turned around, sliding a hand behind the boy's neck, "And don't you dare cause a scene."

—

"Your Highness," the male servant bowed upon the Prince's arrival. His eyes scanned the situation and new slave, "Shall we bathe him for you?"

"Yes, and get him some clothes that are not dirty," he ordered, watching in amusement as the mongrel fought against the group of servants luring him into the bathroom.

"Shall we shave him as well?" one asked.

"Everything except his lower regions," he answered, "I'll do that myself."

—

"Feeling refreshed, my mongrel?"

"I hate you," he spat, charging toward his tormentor, "Just let me go! You don't need me, you have many other slaves!"

"Aye, I do," he chuckled lowly, "But none as wild as you."

"Fuck you..." he hissed, thrashing around to try to escape from the noble; his fresh black tunic and tan breeches getting wrinkled. He had to act quickly and escape this man! The only remaining people of his race were leaving their homeland soon and he didn't plan on missing out.

"Have you forgotten?" the blonde growled, pulling his chin up, "You belong to me—body and soul. I bought you and your debt."

"I belong to no one," he snapped, baring his teeth up at his captor.

'Oh you will entertain me...how long will your fighting spirit last?'


	2. Put A Collar On It

"Make sure he doesn't move," he ordered, watching the servants hold back the thrashing mongrel. With an air of elegance, he slid the leather choker around the boy's neck, carefully buckling it to the perfect tightness—enough so he can breathe, but that was all. "There we go..." he trailed, standing back to admire the black collar, "Even if it is for a dog it suits you so well. Normally slaves get an earring to show they are owned, but this speaks volumes compared the norm." He grinned, sliding his gloved fingers along the boy's neck, "Now listen," he ordered, cuffing the boy's neck with his hand, "You are going to come and eat with me. You are to sit at my feet and not utter a single word." He watched in amusement as the mongrel started to protest, but he silenced him by giving the collar a tug, "You will be in the presence of royalty beyond myself. Her Majesty Jupiter will be present at the table today, she is not as kind as I. If you dare to do anything outrageous she will not hesitate to steal you from me and lop of your head at the snap of her fingers, understand?" Riki gritted his teeth, but gave a nod with his eyes lowered; his head was tugged up. "Tell me verbally you will obey while looking in my eyes, boy." The mongrel struggled with his pride, he would be submitting himself to this man if he agreed verbally and had to promise by looking into the blue eyes.

He slowly raised his head, "Yes...Sir."

"Good," he huffed, staring at both of his servants who are holding the boy back, "Bring me the chains."

—

'This is the most embarrassing day of my life,' he growled to himself while sitting at the man's feet. 'You can't honestly expect me to sit here like a quiet cat and watch you eat.' His dark eyes stared upward, peeking over the edge of the mahogany banquet table, no one was at it besides him and the Prince. He watched the other one from earlier come and sat down on the left side of his captor. 'Why is this guy at the end of the table? That one is a Prince as well, isn't he? So why is this one at the end? Who's at the other end?' He met Raoul's eyes and snarled, but a swift tug on his collar made him fall back as hard blue eyes warned him to behave.

"How fitting," Prince Raoul mocked, staring at the dog collar around his neck, "I still can't believe you brought that back home, let alone to the dinner table. Mother will have a fit."

Prince Iason waved his hand dismissively, "I have to introduce him if he's going to become my personal slave. I can't have her mistaking him for an intruder, and he hasn't eaten. I'm simply dealing with all that needs to be dealt with."

Suddenly they went silent as a door opened and a figure walked through with an aura of authority. Riki peeked under the table to see a long dress with several hues of blue and some purple dragging across the floor. 'A women...?' he pondered, staring up at the blue eyed Prince in confusion; he waved his hand dismissively, telling him not to speak. Servants pulled out the chair for the lady, and she settled down, beaming a smile across the table to her two boys. "Good evening, my children. It's been so long since we have all been together, I'm glad you've come back safely from your journeys." Her eyes flickered to the edge of the table, seeing the top of Riki's hair, then landed on his captor then back down to him and freezing. "What is this, Iason?" she asked softly.

"Mother," he sounded, standing before bowing slightly, "I would like to introduce you to my new slave." He tugged Riki roughly up to his feet, slipping behind him and grabbed his chin; Riki glared his cold black eyes out to the lady while fighting slightly, but heeding the warning, he froze to stillness. "He is one of the few mongrel's left on this planet, and I thought he would make a nice addition to my servants."

"Oh my," she breathed, "I'm very impressed you managed to find one. I thought for sure they had all died off." Her eyes narrowed on the boy, analyzing him further, "But, my child...isn't this one a bit uncivilized? He seems rather wild to me."

"Indeed, Mother, he is not originally a slave," he revealed, "But he will learn to become my personal slave."

"I see," she hummed, "Well, my son, if you wish to keep it I will grant it permission to stay. However, you must take responsibility for him and anything he may do."

"I shall, Mother," he grinned, satisfaction filling him from head to toe knowing that he had his Mother's approval and therefore was unstoppable in doing anything at all with his mongrel. Yes, he could do anything that he pleased; being next in line for the throne had it's perks.

"Now then, let us feast and converse to our heart's content," she smiled, raising her glass to her table full of elites.

Iason sat back down, and guided his mongrel back to his resting position against his legs. "There, now you are indeed my slave. Her Majesty will now be watching out for you as well." Riki scowled, not pleased that now he has the Queen willing to hunt down his ass and drag him back to the castle. He would have to run away quickly, before she could make a move and while his new 'owner' wasn't looking. "Here, my mongrel," he breathed quietly, sliding a piece of food to his surprised lips; he pressed them together hard, not willing himself to be fed in such an embarrassing way.

Prince Raoul scoffed, "I think you'll have to break him if you're going to seriously keep him. Slaves cannot have pride, and this one seems to have an unlimited amount in stock."

"Don't worry," he chuckled lowly, forcing the food into the boy's mouth, "This one will learn quickly." His fingers forced the food in his mouth before sliding under his chin and pressing up so the mongrel couldn't spit it out. "Chew and swallow," he ordered coldly, daring the mongrel to attempt to make a scene. Tasting the familiar flavors of meat, he obeyed; in the back of his mind he was planning his escape.

—

"Come," the Prince instructed, giving a sharp tug on the chain leash so that Riki had no choice but to follow behind him. He felt numerous eyes of busy maids and servants burning holes into him, in shame he kept his head down.

After they left the room he still kept his eyes on the floor, not wanting to be anywhere near the Queen while he makes a run for it. He feared if she were nearby he might encounter her wrath sooner rather than later, even though she could do anything even if he did escape. He ran right into a hard wall of fabric while lost in his worrying mind, a stinging pain shot through his nose from the impact.

"What are you lost in thought about?" the voice rumbled as two hands slide up to hold his face. "Let us go to my room," he breathed in a rumble, "You shall bathe me, then we will go over the rules of you being here before we retire for the evening."

Fear coursed through him, he couldn't afford to stay here any longer. He swiftly looked around the room, eyeing the doors which he came through, if only he could get away to them. Forgetting everything, he lurched towards the exit; breaking into a sprint of three steps. The collar stole the breath from his, slicing into his flesh slightly from the abrupt movement; he fell backwards, gasping for the breath stolen from him. "Koff...Koff...!" he choked, crawling to his knees to sit upward and regain a normal breathing pattern.

"You dare to attempt to run away?" the Prince hissed, tugging his collar upwards as he continues to choke. "You are going to regret your actions."

—

"Tie him to the chair," he ordered to the servants, shoving the mongrel into his room and onto the floor. He sat on the edge of his bed, his furious blue eyes watched as his servants struggle and coerce the mongrel to the front of the chair; they bound his hands with a thick and rough rope to the sturdy wooden back, slipping them through the openings. "Bring me my whip," he demanded to another one, watching the mongrel fight against the hold; he rose and strode over to the boy's behind. "You will regret even thinking of escaping me," he hissed, ripping down the boys pants to expose his naked bottom; his traced his hands over the perfect skin, it was a shame it would be sore and red for a few days.

"Don't you fucking dare!" Riki snarled, struggling harder against the chair's hold.

"You will receive one lash every time you make a mistake, three lashes if you disobey me, and ten lashes if you dare to try and escape," he explained, positioning himself behind the boy. "Are you ready for ten lashes, Riki?"

The mongrel bit his lips while bracing for the pain, the taste of blood filled his mouth. The first lash came down with such force he nearly screamed out in pain, but held back. His body shook as the next lashes hit the same area, causing more pain to the spot. He refused to cry out and give satisfaction to his tormentor, biting into his lip more before he gritted his teeth so hard it was audible.

"Five more," Iason rumbled in his ear, "You can scream out, boy. Or else I might think I need to do it harder." He whipped down with a bit more force, causing a whimper to escape the boy's lips.

—

"All done," he whispered, running his hand over the boy's sore bottom, causing him to flinch. He had been rough, but not excessively; he knew how to make it painful while preventing unnecessary injury.

Riki exhaled, his body drooping against the ropes as the tension left. Never had he experienced such pain in his lower area, he nearly cried it was so bad. He felt the ropes loosen and his lifeless body was hauled up to a standing position while his butt was still exposed. He probably looked so pathetic right now, but he was in too much shock and pain he didn't care.

"Now then," Iason rumbled, "Shall we take a bath?"

Imagining the hot water touching his stinging behind sends fear pulsing through him, he snapped back to life, fighting against the man to get away from the bathroom. He was pushed onto the granite floor, smacking it hard with his body; in front of him is the bathtub, steam from the heat rose out of it to warn him of his future pain. "No...no!" he screeched, fighting against the servants that effortlessly rip off his clothes; the blonde slipped behind him, holding him flush against his naked body from behind.

"Leave," Iason ordered to the servants, watching them lock the door so his wild cat can't escape. He slid one of his marble white legs into the water, hauling the mongrel closer into the tub. Finally getting the mongrel standing in front of him in the tub, he started to lower himself into the scolding hot water while he pushed the mongrel downwards. As expected, the mongrel shrieked and howled as the hot water started to touch the area of punishment; he settled the thrashing mongrel between his legs, holding him down so he couldn't jump out.

"Agghh! No—more!" he screamed in pain from the severe stinging of the wounds, splashing the water out of the tub, "Let me—go!"

"Isn't this water refreshing, Riki?" he breathed softly while he held the boy in place. He looked down and saw tears in the corner of his mongrel's eyes, sending an unfamiliar feeling through his chest. On an impulse, he reached out and slid his hands gently down his flanks, causing him to shiver. His hands slid downwards to the boy's groin where he massages the boy's flaccid penis; Riki gripped onto the hand, refusing to be toyed with, but couldn't help a reaction. 'I picked up something good...' He dominated the boy with his hand, deftly teasing in all the right places to bring an erection to life.

"Ah...stop!" he moaned, panting heavily as his body reacts against his will—damn his sensitivity!

"Are you embarrassed?" he coldly asked, sliding his finger under the boy's foreskin and teasing the slit. "There is no need for embarrassment. You have no right to be ashamed of anything I do. If seeing you naked pleases me, it should please you; if touching you like this pleases me, it should please you." He listened to the mongrel gasp as he skillfully strokes the submerged length slowly, the sound was ambrosia to his ears.

"Ah...a...no—gonna...!" he moaned, his body convulsing in the blonde's arms as he released. His eyes rolled back and he drooped inside Iason's hold as heat, exhaustion, pain and pleasure consumed him into darkness.

'I have much work to do with you...Riki...'


	3. You Are Mine

His body jolts back, he gasps for air while clinging to whatever his hands can grab onto to stop himself from drowning. A feeling of relief hits him as he realizes he is no longer in the bathtub but rather laying on a bed. But he quickly notices that he is tied to all four of the bed posts, causing panic to swirl inside him.

"Easy there," Prince Iason chuckles from somewhere behind him, sliding his hand near the area of pain. Riki tenses under the fingers, afraid for what's next. "This is a special cream to heal your wounds," he explains, his fingers disappearing and then returning with wetness.

Riki jolts in pain as the finger runs over the aching area. But immediately after contact an intense cold sensation numbs the spot, causing him to relax with an exhale.

"Hmm," Iason sounds in amusement, "You like that, boy?" He slides his fingers further up the skin before him, it was smooth and tantalizing. Never had he felt such skin as this, was this a trait all mongrels had? What had he been missing out on?

"Bastard," he hisses, trying to fight against the holds and escape. "Stop touching me! It's disgusting!"

The blonde's eyes narrow, "Have you forgotten your position?" he asks, groping the boy's ass roughly. Even with the soothing cream, pain still courses through the spot causing him to yelp. "I own you. You're mine."

"I belong to no one," he snarls, trying to yank his hands free. "I'll never belong to you."

Prince Iason steps over to one side so he's closer to the mongrels face. He abrasively grabs onto the boy's hair, tugging upward, "You belong to me. And you always will, Riki."

"Fuck you...!" he growls through gashed teeth, glaring at the man with eyes full of hate.

"You are very vicious, are all mongrels this way?" he asks neutrally, sliding his free hand along the boy's face. He let's go, causing Riki to fall against the bed like a rag doll. "Tie him so he's..."

Riki flinches, hearing the words with horror. He starts to violently tug against the ropes, desperately trying to escape.

—

"Now then," he breathes, watching with amusement in his eyes. His sweet mongrel glares furiously at him, accomplishing nothing as it fuels his desire to play with him more. "Do you like this position?" he inquires, strolling across the room casually. His blue eyes smouldering into the mongrel's nude body before him. 'He has a fine physique for a mongrel, very well kept. Not a mark on his skin, other than what I have left.'

"Stop staring, fucker," he snarls, trying once again to pull his hands out from the bindings.

"If you don't clean up your language, I'll never let you talk," the blonde advises, grabbing onto the boy's chin roughly, "I could rip out your vocal cords, sew your mouth shut, rip out your tongue..." Riki's eyes fill with fear, just how much power did this guy have? "But I think we will start with this," he notes, grabbing something from the side table.

"Uumf...!" the mongrel chokes, a thick wet cloth is shoved into his mouth. He gags as it's pushed back too far, causing tears to well up in his eyes.

"For having such a big mouth you really can't hold much in it," Prince Iason mocks, trailing a finger along the boy's throat, "Just let it seep in. Then when you're thoroughly intoxicated by it, I'll see just how long you can last."

—

"Hnnn..." he accidentally whines through the fabric, his head drooping downwards. 'It hurts...burning...too hot...'

A low chuckle escapes the blonde as he sits with one leg crossed in his comfy fabric and wooden chair. He sips a bit of wine from his jeweled cup, "Does it hurt, Riki? Shall I give you some help?"

'You bastard...I hope you...' he growls inside, but another wave of heat causes his hips to ache sweetly. He wanted to reach down and release the fire burning within him, but he couldn't.

"Here, I'll let one of my other servants help you," he laughs coldly, signalling for someone. A smaller boy with sandy colored hair steps forward, listening to the man's instructions before approaching him.

'Go away...!' he growls, glaring daggers at the boy starts climbing up onto the bed in between his legs. He tries to kick him away, but is unsuccessful as the boy calmly dodges him.

"Daryl is a very skilled servant," the blonde muses, "He'll tend to your needs."

The boy kneels in front of his erection, bowing his head to Riki before sliding his mouth downwards over it.

"Hmm...nn..." the mongrel moans through the cloth, his hips shaking from finally having the lustful area touched.

Daryl starts holding his penis in his hands, deftly gliding his tongue along the length and teasing the tip with nips. "Mmm..." he sounds, sucking fiercely as he reapplies his mouth over the length while fondling his balls.

"Mmmph...mmmn!" Riki moans, his hips bucking upwards from the sensations. How was this brat so good at this? He had only had fellatio one other time in his life and it was never this good.

Daryl glances up, making eye contact with him as he sucks on his erection that is all the way in the back of his throat. "Mnnn..." he gasps as the mongrel twitches in his throat; the slit oozing thick pre cum.

"Mmm...Hmmmn!" Riki cries out, throwing his head back as his hips violently shake. His body convulses in waves as he releases deep inside the boy's throat. "Mm...hmm..." he pants, still shuddering as the boy continues to suck him dry.

"Enough," Iason orders to the servant, upon the voice Daryl gets up and backs off. "Let's see how long he can go on like this..."

—

'No...more...' he pants, his lifeless body drooping. He had come so many times he had no more semen left inside of his body. His hips were aching from shaking so much, while his limbs under the ropes burned from his futile attempts to get away.

"Quiet, I'm trying to sleep," Prince Iason calls from above him. He had been moved a few hours ago, his legs spread open by the two posts at the end of the bed while his arms remained tied behind his back. It had to be the wee hours of the next day, he had laying on the floor so long he felt stuck to it.

'Then let me go...!' he shrieks inside while raising his head off the floor, feeling light headed from the lack of oxygen. His tormentor has taken out the rag and force fed him some bread with the same nauseating liquid on it after he was moved. And after the rag was back and in a different position it was making it harder to breathe again. He coughs into the fabric, managing to move it around just enough to breathe better, but he still couldn't spit it out. In exhaustion he gives up, flopping back onto the floor. 'Fuck it all...' he cries, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. What did he do to deserve this? He was only stealing from the wealthier people so his friends and him could survive, what was such a crime about wanting to live? A small whimper escapes his throat, which causes him to hold his breath. He wasn't going to let this man break him.

"My, my, my," the man's voice muses in the darkness, "That was a lovely sound, my sweet mongrel. Are you going to behave now? Or shall I keep you there for awhile longer?" Riki could almost feel the grin lurking on the man's face as he taunted him, this bastard was so sick and twisted. The sound of feet meeting the floor cause him to jolt. A dark figure towers over him, and a black limb reaches out and takes the cloth out from his mouth. "Are you ready to behave?"

"Enough...already..." the mongrel's hoarse voice pleads. He feels his legs fall down onto the floor, the muscles aching from being frozen in that position for so long.

"Good boy," the man whispers, picking him up and carrying his tired body away. The bed meets his sore body, feeling like Heaven's clouds compared to the hard floor which he had been on for so long.

"Don't..." he weakly growls as the man slides in next to him. His sore lower half flinches with the contact of the man's body, their bodies pressed together so they are spooning.

"Sleep, my mongrel," he whispers, kissing his face as he wraps his arms around the boy's body.

He was so tired he could barely keep his eyes open, why was his tormentor being kind after all this time? He didn't understand. "I...hate..." he starts, but finally loses consciousness while in the warm hold.

Iason chuckles lowly, kissing the cold sweat covered body, "You won't for long."


	4. Lose Your Pride

"Oh?" Prince Raoul sounds, peering around his brother, searching for the thing he bought the other day. "I'm genuinely surprised it's not with you."

"He's resting," Iason calmly informs him, gracefully stabbing into some fresh fruit with his fork.

"I take it from your cheerful demeanour that you've broken the rules and had your way with him?" he questions, disgust dripping from every word.

"No," he chuckles lowly, "I would never do that. I just had some fun with him." He looks the green orbed Blondie in the eyes, "You don't know what your missing, Raoul. It's like a completely different breed all together."

"It's a mongrel," he scoffs, "It's the dirtiest breed of human on this planet and you like it!" He grimly shakes his head, "You have bad taste, brother."

"You would not be saying that if you had one for yourself," Iason smirks slightly, "But since they are almost extinct...you'll never know."

—

He retches again, what the fuck had that blonde Prince bastard given him? Whatever he had been force fed and intoxicated by was now pooling in his stomach. Jounces of nausea bring him down again, he heaves loudly as the liquid burns it's way back up. Roaring in his ears prevents him from hearing the splash sound of the liquid hitting the floor; his insides where on fire! He glances at the floor with blurry vision, crimson drops splatter and mix within the bile. Was he having a bad reaction to whatever was given to him? Why was it so delayed? 'Shit...' he moans, flopping over lifelessly, 'I'm going to...'

—

"I'm not interested in joining you in your enthusiasm towards the dirty beasts," Prince Raoul shakes his head. "As far as I'm concerned they'd all be better off dead."

"You—"

"Master!" one small boy servant screeches, running into the room. He stands in the doorway, gasping for breath from running and fear as he meets the blue eyes. "Forgive me for the intrusion, Master, but the slave you got yesterday...!"

—

"Get me that!" Iason demands, ordering the servant to grab the special remedy that will make the mongrel throw up whatever is agitating his insides. He strides over the mongrel who is bleeding out of the mouth and choking, "Drink this." He presses the bottle to the boy's lips, but the mongrel doesn't oblige. "Riki," he sternly calls, "If you don't drink it you'll die. Understand me?"

"Good," Riki coughs, "Then I'll be free..." He regurgitates more crimson before his eyes roll back. Iason grits his teeth, forcing the bottle to the boy's lips and pouring it down. He slides his fingers gracefully down the boy's neck, pressing down so the boy swallows.

'You can only be free with me,' Iason hisses inside, 'I am your freedom.'

—

"He will be fine," Raoul snaps, walking away from the sleeping mongrel. He throws the pair of gloves into the servants hands in disgust, "Dispose of those."

"What did you give him?" Iason inquires, watching his brother calmly approach him.

"A stronger remedy to ease the effects of the aphrodisiac and help him become immune," he shrugs, "Even though it was mild, his body couldn't handle it very well." He walks past Iason, leaving him alone. "I'll advise you to be cautious in feeding him the next few days, and if you ever plan to use that type of aphrodisiacs with him again."

"Will do," he agrees, striding around to the boy's side of the bed. He strokes a finger along the sleeping mongrel's face. "You are mine, I didn't permit you to die."

—

"Hmm..." he moans, rubbing his eyes to clear his vision. A presence close to him causes him to jump, Prince Iason is sleeping soundly while holding him. 'So uncomfortable...' he snarls, trying to move away. In the attempt, he only manages to have the Prince pull him closer. 'Damn it all...fine!' He gives up, closing his eyes to go back to sleep. There was no way to get out of the iron grip and he wasn't going to make himself sick again trying.

—

"Fuck off," he hisses to the servant trying to get him to go bath.

"You need to bath... Master's orders," the boy instructs, trying to corner him.

"Your Master can kiss my ass!" he snarls, "He isn't my Master and never will be!" Riki launches himself at the boy, punching and wrestling with him on the floor. Other servants rush in after hearing the commotion, all trying to gang up on Riki. He fights them off one by one, sending them down to the floor. He had so much pent up energy ready to explode out of him, he was going to fight. He'd never, ever give in!

—

"You purposely disobeyed me," he growls, "I told you to behave. And yet you don't listen!" He whips down hard on the exposed skin, "Why can't you just behave? You are my slave, do you not know what that means?"

"Augh!" Riki winces, the tiny pieces of sharp animal claws woven into the whip scrapping his wounds.

"Just submit to me and you can live a comfortable life," he reasons, whipping down hard again. "This is paradise compared to your past life."

"I'll never submit...aghh...to you!"

—

"Fuck off!" he screeches, trying to push past the servants blocking the exit of the bedroom door. "I'm not staying with this son of a bitch anymore!"

"You can't leave!" the servant snaps, pushing Riki backwards.

"You fucking...!" he growls, leaping upwards and tackling the brat.

"Ow!"

"Let me out of the room!"

"No..." the servant hisses, staring up at the mongrel with disgust.

Riki punches him so hard across the face he loses consciousness. "Fine then. I'll go myself."

—

"Leggo of me!" he howls, fighting in the grip of the guards. The doors of freedom were just a few meters away, then he'd be free forever! If only he could just!

"Stop struggling!" one guard huffs, trying to wrap his arms more securely around the boy's body.

"Dammit!" Riki cries, trying to desperately fight his way to the door. "Just...let me go!"

Another guard walks up carrying a whip, "Turn him around."

"No!" the wild cat screeches, struggling with all his might against the burly guards. He's turned around so he's facing the doors, just a few arms lengths away. The heavy whip cracks down on his back, causing him to writhe in pain. This guard wasn't experienced enough to do it properly, his back slices open in a deep gash.

"What is going on here?" a familiar and furious voice demands.

Riki sobs in agony as another whipping meets his bleeding back. The door was right there! If only! He thrashes to the side, ripping his arm free from the harsh movement. Wasting no time, he runs forward, his arm reaching to the freedom. Another fierce lash lands against his back, causing his body to lock up. The ground meets him unfailingly, the hard and cold tile meeting him with a loud smack.

"Give me that!" the Prince snarls, ripping the whip from the guards hands. "You've cut him too deep! He's bleeding everywhere!"

Several whipping and screaming sounds fill the air behind him as he lays there. A sticky warmth spreads on his back from the wounds. Maybe this time he'd die and be free.

—

"You never learn," Prince Iason snarls, staring down at the badly cut up back laying on the bed. "Why can't you just behave?"

"I'm not a slave," the tiny voice huffs.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, you are!" he disagrees, striding over to the boy's face. He grips onto the black hair, "I own you, boy. You are mine until you die."

"I hope I die soon then."

—

"Such behavior cannot go unpunished my son," Queen Jupiter calmly points out, "I hope you will obey me and give your slave what he deserves. He has caused much trouble these past days."

"Yes, mother," he nods, bowing slightly, "I'll see to him being punished. No fighting from him will be tolerated, I'm sorry this happened. I have a lot of work to do during my free time." He should be using his free time for other things, but this mongrel was too interesting and mysterious to not play around with when given the chance.

"Where is he now?"

"Locked in my room," he answers, "I'll punish him after supper."

—

"Get me the strongest aphrodisiac you have," he orders. 'I want to see how his dirty blood reacts with the purest of potions.'

"I have this, but you don't need it," Raoul answers in confusion, "Is something wrong with your...?"

"It's not for me," he snaps, glaring at his brother for daring to think his sex drive was slowing down.

He simply pushes a potion bottle forward with a gloved hand. "This one is the most potent I have. It is specifically for us when we get wives." He explains, "We are the purest bloodline on this planet. If you're planning on using it on your mongrel, it could be dangerous; it might be too strong. Remember a few days ago?"

He takes the glass bottle, observing the contents that swishes around. "This is made exclusively for our bloodline?"

"It has special ingredients that react well with our blood," he explains, adding with a shrug, "It enhances our experience, but to anyone else outside of our bloodline the enhancements..." He pauses, choosing his words carefully, "Are amplified far above what any other aphrodisiac can offer. I create only the best for our family and us exclusively... it's a pity you'd waste it on your slave."

"This will fair nicely," Iason nods, approving of the bottle, "I am eager to see how he will react to something created exclusively for our bloodline." He turns on his heel, leaving Prince Raoul to continue his work in office. 'How will you react to this being in your veins? What face will you make? How will you behave? How aroused will you get? Or will you react badly again?' Iason hurries back to his room, his curiosity pushing his mind to the limits.

—

"Leggo, you fucker!" Riki hisses, trying to scramble away as one of the servants grasp onto him. He kicks and thrashes as they coerce him to the left bedside, "Let. Go!" He throws one of the boy's off of him onto the floor, but another two tackle him roughly; he falls down, breathless. "Let-koff-go...!" he weakly yells, his ribs aching from the force that they endured. His back aches slightly as the almost healed wounds rub against the bandages.

"I see you're lively today, Riki," Iason rumbles, striding towards him. He takes the winded boy into his arms, slipping behind him easily so they're sitting on the edge of the bed. "I want to try something today..." he grins, securing the boy in his arms. He snaps his fingers, ordering a servant to step forward with a cup of wine. "Care for a drink?"

"Leggo...of me..." he wheezes, trying to get up from being in between the man's legs. A gloved hand wraps around him, preventing him from moving.

"I don't think so," he growls, gracefully accepting the cup. He raises it to his lips, taking in a mouthful. His fingers grasps onto the boy's hair, pulling his head up so he can easily press his lips to the mongrel's. He forces the boy's mouth open with his tongue. The wine transfers into the boy's, a string of the purply crimson drips from the corner of his mouth.

"Hmmm!" his muffled voice shrieks, nearly choking as the liquid suddenly intrudes. He presses his hands against the blonde, trying to push away. He finally gets back, gasping and choking, only after Iason let's go. "N..no more-" he pants, only to have the blonde silence him with another kiss full of wine. He accidentally swallows before breaking off in another coughing fit.

"That should suffice for now," he observes, handing off the cup to the servant standing by.

Riki shoots out of the hold, but only because the blonde releases his grip. He turns to face his tormentor; his eyes full of fury and a snarl on his lips. "You...bastard!" he screeches, launching himself at the blonde. He's easily maneuvered around so he's flipped and pinned under the weight of the man, "Get off of me!"

"You're very, very, lively today," Iason calmly notes, sliding his hand down the boy's bandaged back. The boy winces in pain, fearing that he'll be getting additional marks to his not fully healed back. The Prince let's up his grip, rising into a stand; his eyes falling upon the servants. "Leave," he commands with the wave of his hand. Once they've all left, he sits down in a chair. Riki scrambles over to the corner of the room, trying to get as far away as he can from the beast. 'Now let's see how tame you become...'

—

'Fuck...fuck...fuck!' Riki screams inside, falling to the floor helplessly. His body was burning uncontrollably, he felt so parched he was desperate for something to replenish him. "Uugh..." he moans, dragging himself on his belly across the floor. Whatever was given to him was infinitely worse than the other aphrodisiac. He was easily aroused from the friction of his clothing against his sensitive body. "Uuurk...kuu..." he sounds through gnashed teeth, curling up into a ball with his back to Iason.

"Oh no you don't," the blonde scolds, standing up to approach the boy. He grabs hold of him, carefully dragging him over to the rug in front of the chair. "I want to see everything," he orders, sitting back down with one leg crossed over the other.

"Uuurghh..." he groans, trying to crawl back to the corner. He grits his teeth in anger, imagining how pitiful he must look right now.

"So disobedient," he scoffs, rising once again. He grabs hold of a longer chain leash hanging up. In one elegant stride, he grabs the mongrel, connecting the chain and collar. He pulls in hard in one tug, sending Riki to the rug face first. Sitting back down he tightens the grasp on the leash, shortening the distance so Riki is unable to get away.

"Kuu...uuugh..." he moans, shaking helplessly as his body disobeys him.

"What's the matter, Riki?" Iason taunts, taking in the pitiful state of the once violent mongrel. "Is the drug too strong for you? You can relieve yourself, if your pride allows it."

'I'll never listen,' he hisses internally, desperately trying to find a way to ease the pulsating erection. He moves himself into the cobra position, wildly grinding his lower half on the rug to stimulate himself. He'd rather do anything than use his own hand in front of this bastard. "Ah...Ahhh...!" he gasps, his body shuddering in climax from having the rough stimulation granted to his lower half.

"You...!" Iason growls, yanking on the chain so Riki chokes from having his airway blocked as he's lifted off the floor. "If you are to come you must do it from your own hands." He pushes the boy back, sending him crashing down in a fit of coughing.

"Ne...ver..." he gasps, staring up at the blonde with dark eyes brimming with hate.

He clicks his tongue, "So be it."

—

"Haa...haa...haaaa..." he pants in agony, the fire of the drug scorching him. His heaving sides dripping beads of sweat, adding to the sheet already covering him.

Iason calmly watches, waiting for the mongrel's pride to cave. 'You can only rebel for so long...but no matter how long that shall be...I will wait.'

"Uuurk..." Riki sounds, trying to kick his bound legs that are forcibly spread open. He was watching, he could see everything. It was humiliating to be seen in such a fashion and have no way to defend himself. His hands were purposely free though, so he'd submit to the order and please himself for Prince Iason's enjoyment. He didn't want to, but it was beginning to seem like he would have to in order to end the burning of his body. He hesitantly slides his hand forward, touching the tip of his penis. Disgust fills him for how gross it looked, but at the same time just looking at it made everything more erotic and raw. "Ah..." he gasps, shivering from just the simple touch. Taken aback by the sound that escaped him, he freezes. 'No, no, no! I can't let this man get what he wants!'

"You were doing so well," Iason comments, a smug look on his face, "Go on."

Gritting his teeth at the stuck up attitude of the blonde, he reaches out and grasps his soaking erection. Liquid slicks the length as his slit produces endless lube for his hand to use. He holds back his moans, gasping silently as he begins to pump his cock harder. "Ah...hah-Ahh!" he moans unintentionally, his hips shaking with each movement of his hand. His lower half fills him with the sweetness of climax, sending him over the edge again. 'How long is this going to last?!' He shivers after ejaculating and stares down at his rock hard erection, it appears as if he hasn't come at all. In frustration he grits his teeth, his eyes glistening as they threaten to spill tears.

'He's going to cry...' Iason observes with interest, watching as the pride filled mongrel starts to break down in front of his eyes. 'So even he is capable of losing his composure.'

'Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!' he screams inside, gnashing his teeth so hard together they almost break. Tears start to flow down from his eyes, he continues to pump his erection, trying to end the agony. With each pump it seems to create an even greater heat inside of him. He craved something else to ease the fire, this wasn't enough. He's suddenly pushed backwards, the blonde crawling over him."No! Get away!" he shrieks, pushing him away to no avail.

"You are mine," he breathes, pressing two fingers to Riki's entrance. He thrusts them roughly inside, watching the boy's face contort to pain as he writhes in agony from the assault.

"Aaagh! Stop, please!" the mongrel pleads, his nails digging into the rug. He tries to kick the blonde, but he can't reach the bastard. "Aaah! Ah, ah, ahh!"

Iason violently and quickly thrusts the fingers as deep as he can inside, "This is punishment...for not listening." His other hand handles the boy's erection roughly, ensuring that the boy understands his position.

Riki howls in protest, despite the pain he finds the sensations adequate enough to make him cum. His body shuddering from the pleasure of the cruel hands, clenching down on the warm fingers.

An urgent need to claim the boy inside runs through Iason. He rips out his fingers, watching as the boy droops against the holds and lies nearly unconscious on the floor. What was that? Why did he feel the need to take the boy? What was happening to him?

"Fuck...you..." Riki cries softly, his aching body sending the relief of darkness over him.

A bittersweet feeling fills Iason, he had delivered punishment, but something wasn't right. He wanted to make the mongrel cum more. With his own hands he wanted to do things so he could watch the mongrel's face adorn expressions of pain and pleasure. He pulls away, moving back to the chair to stare down at the messy boy. 'Foolish thoughts!' he scolds himself, leaning back in disgust. 'He's your slave, what are you thinking!'


	5. The Oppurtunity

"Mother..." he sighs, wishing he could figure out how to convince the stubborn women.

"I see no progress in your training of your slave," she presses on, watching her Son struggle to win their argument. "You do not have much time to waste at the expense of something such as that."

"But Mother," he breathes, "He's so fascinating, I can never seem to get him to behave. And I'm always finding myself wanting to be with him."

"Explain."

"His pride is endless," he starts, eager to try and convince his Mother to give him more free time to finish the task of training his mongrel. "It's incredible, no matter what punishment I bring upon him, he still resists."

"You're talking as if you enjoy this, Iason," she bitterly notes, shaking her head in dissatisfaction. "Every servant has rules to follow."

"But Mother," he calls softly, the devil inside him grinning—he had found his loop hole. "He's not a mere servant like the many I have. He's my personal slave. That means he is a completely different case all together. And to boot, he is a mongrel. So do the rules still apply the same way?"

—

"Don't fucking touch me!" Riki snarls at the servant, weakly raising his arm to hit away the smaller boy. "Leave me the fuck alone!"

"Master's bed has to be made," the servant hisses, glaring up with his light colored eyes brimming with disgust. "Scum like yourself is dirtying the sheets... we'll have to wash everything again."

"You fucking brat!" he growls, abruptly lurching forward to smack the servant across the face. Pain jolts through him, sending his weak and aching body downwards into the blankets.

"Ha, look at you!" the boy mocks, "Master doesn't even hold you properly because you're so disgusting."

"What did you say, fucker!?"

"If you're really his personal slave, then how come he hasn't claimed you?" the servant taunts, "Everyone knows, a personal slave's real worth depends on how well they please their Master in bed." He flexes his eyebrows, "So obviously you're not worth much."

"You...!" Riki launches himself at the boy, both of them hit the ground with a thud. He wraps his arms around the boy's shoulders, smacking his smaller frame hard against the ground. He lowers his face to the boy's ear, "Your Master is a sick and twisted son of a bitch. If you want his royal penis shoved inside of your ass, be my guest. I'll gladly switch places with you."

The boy constricts onto his arms, surprisingly strong for his lack of muscle, he hisses and chuckles, "You fool." In one smooth motion, he flips over, pinning Riki down onto the ground under him. "I'd never give a dirty body like mine to the Prince. He deserves someone of the highest pedigree, not scum like yourself."

"Then you too are scum if you can't present your ass to him!"

"I am," he chuckles sadly, "The Prince rescued me..." He sits up, staring down to Riki's eyes, "My previous Master enjoyed raping me every single night after scarring my body." He pulls down his shirt, revealing a shoulder covered in numerous patterns of burn and branding scars piled upon each other, the flesh melting into a pink patch where the most burning was applied. "My Master died clutching his heart, he just fell over and died. Like someone blew out a candle flame—he was gone..." He stares away, lost in his thoughts of the past, a shaky breath escapes him, "Prince Iason had been an acquaintance of my Master, and after his passing, he agreed to take me as one of his servants while the Will and property were being divided."

"That's a great sob story kid, but your Master is still a—" The boy harshly grabs hold of Riki's shoulders, slamming him against the floor. He loses his breath to the sudden force.

"You fool! Do not take the Prince's kindness towards you for granted!" he screeches, tears bubbling in the corners of his eyes as he grips onto the tan shoulders, "You could have ended up in much worse hands if he hadn't stuck out his neck and disregarded his status to save you!"

"Get off me," Riki hisses, glaring up at the crying brat. The boy slowly lets go, crawling off the nude mongrel and turning away while sniffling to proceed to his task of changing the sheets. "You might've had a bad Master in the past, but I have never had one." He meets the boy's tearful eyes, "And I will never accept that bastard as one."

—

"You always have a way to get what you want," she sighs, fanning herself with an elegant white lace fan.

"I'm merely pointing out the details, Mother."

"Fine," she huffs, "I'll give you an opportunity to prove you can reign your personal slave." She snaps her fan shut, pointing it towards him, "This coming Moon's day there is going to be a feast and masquerade ball which we all will be attending. I will grant you freedom from your duties until that day. If you can bring your personal slave and have him behave during the entirety of the meal and dance, I will renew his permission to stay within these walls."

"And if I by chance fail?" he inquires, positive he already knows the answer.

"Then off with his head."

—

"Stay away!" Riki hisses, sitting rigid in the corner like a black cat with it's hackles raised as he glares at the blonde Prince across the room. "Don't you dare come over here, you bastard!"

The blonde eyebrows curve down in a frown, "Riki, you aren't even dressed."

"Good!" he snarls, "I don't want anything provided by you!"

Prince Iason storms over, grabbing onto the black collar around the mongrel's neck, "Must you never learn your position?" He raises the boy up off the ground, watching him panic and clutch onto his hands which are causing him to choke. "If you'd behave you could honestly live a comfortable life here." He drops the boy, staring down upon him as he gasps and coughs while rubbing his neck to disperse the pain.

"Fuck..." he coughs, glaring up at the Prince with hate brimming in his eyes, "Who...would want to live...under your care?" He spits on the floor, "You make me want to vomit every time I see—" Iason smacks him hard across the face, sending him flying backwards.

"Are you finished?" he coldly asks, grabbing onto the boy's hair and pulling him upwards.

—

"Next Moon's day there is an event," Prince Iason explains, thrusting deeper into the mongrel's throat. "If you do not behave when I take you with me Queen Jupiter will kill you off."

"Mmmh!" Riki gags, trying to squirm away from the thick cock being forced deep into his throat. Iason roughly grabs his head so tight his skull might bust, pulling him forward and backward. He gags violently, threatening to throw up while the organ is inside his crevice. He tries to bite the blonde, but for some reason his jaw refuses to obey the request or at least attempt the action.

"You really can't hold much in your big mouth, can you?" he taunts, a laugh escaping him as he looks down upon the pitiful sight. Riki glares upwards, only succeeding in granting the Prince with more triumph for dominating the mongrel. "Are you choking, Riki? Shall I let you die due to lack of air?"

"Hmmph!" he screeches, suffocating as the penis inside his mouth blocks his airway. He frantically pushes against the Prince's legs, gagging every time the tip thrusts down his throat further. The blonde pulls out, letting Riki fall off the bed while violently throwing up what little he had inside his stomach all over the floor. He clutches his throat, trying to breathe while spitting up the musky tasting saliva tasting of the Prince's manhood—he hadn't cum, but the flavor of the flesh itself was disgusting to his taste buds.

"Clean this up," he orders the servants, sliding off the bed and into a robe that is held open for him. He points to the hacking mongrel, "Put him in the bathroom," he coldly adds, "And bring the blade."

—

"Get...away!" Riki screams, backing helplessly into the corner as the Prince enters while carrying a blade.

"Come now," he urges, gesturing gracefully to another door in the bathroom, "It's time for your pride to break." He steps forward, following him are a few servants that are ready to assist in the task. Two break off, standing in front of the door with their arms crossed in an intimidating stance, daring the mongrel to try and escape his fate. Riki recognizes the boy named Daryl, and another boy following behind him, they slip to each side of the Prince. Together, the three of them corner the boy to his doom.

—

"L—Let...go...!" Riki yelps, fighting against the hold of the blonde. He was in between the Prince's legs, with his hands tied, and they were sitting on the second step that leads to an deep in ground tub that is surrounded by smooth rock flooring. "Let go!"

"I wouldn't move too much, boy," Prince Iason rumbles, tightening his grip on the struggling mongrel, "He's going to be dealing with a very sensitive area and you wouldn't want it to get cut."

"Nnn...! Let go!" Riki trembles, trying desperately to wiggle away from Daryl. He gulps as the boy runs the cold blade tauntingly along his penis. "Don't..."

Daryl smirks for a millisecond, caressing the mongrel's penis in his hands. He wastes no time in sticking the tip inside his mouth, slurping loudly to embarrass the boy. The other servant comes back, setting down a basin of water before he takes the blade from Daryl, tracing it along Riki's thighs and thigh gap.

Riki gulps, his hips shaking from the pleasure and fear. "N...no more...!" He tries to fight, but Iason holds his bound arms along with his body still, preventing him from doing anything at all.

"Don't move, or else he might cut you," Iason warns, his gaze flickering over to the boy sliding the blade along the base of the mongrel's penis. "Here, this might help you cope." He slides a blindfold around the boy's head, blocking his vision, and ties it tightly.

Riki's blood runs cold with fear. The bastard was going to cut off his penis to show him that he was a slave! He trembles, fighting back tears of fear for the pain to come. He then freezes, unsure of where the knife is. If he moves, it might slice up his penis more! Something touches his penis, causing him to stiffen, the feeling amplified because he can't see. Was this really happening to him? A cold sharp pain meets his foreskin, the cool metal pressing against his skin, causing him to scream loudly and jerk his hips away. Warm blood runs down from the wound, verifying that the Prince really had ordered the servants to cut his manhood off. He cries into Iason's chest because there is no where else to go. "Stop–kuuu–stop!" he pleads, feeling the sharp pain in another spot followed by the blood. A low chuckle from the Prince meets his ears, causing him to grit his teeth, "I hate you..." he cries, "You're so fucking...AAH!" Another sharp pain and warm blood drips from the wound. Hot tongues meet the injury, licking up all the blood from the act. "Kuuu..."

"Fascinating..." the deep voice rumbles in amusement, holding the trembling Riki closer to him. "I never thought it would work."

"Fuck...you..." he cries, wondering how long his body would remain in shock before the pain of having his member sliced off would kick in. "You're...terrible!"

The deep voice chuckles, "Would you like to see it, boy?" The hands pull the knot loose on the blindfold. Riki squeezes his eyes shut, not eager to see the blood and gore that was once his penis. "Come on, take a good look."

Riki pries one eye open, prepared to take in the minimal glance before looking away. Instead of blood and a mangled penis, he sees it standing tall. Daryl smirks behind it, silently laughing at the mongrel for freaking out and causing such a show. He pinches the foreskin between his long nails while holding a dull blade to it, mocking the boy further as he shows how much of a weakling he is to the pain. The other boy pours the warm water gently down his penis, mimicking the feeling of blood dripping. "Fuck you...!" he snarls through tears, trying to hit the Prince hard against the chest with his bound hands. He sniffles, before a new sob of fear and frustration slips free. This damn blonde was toying with him and he hated it all! "I...hate you! I hate you! I hate you!" he shrieks over and over again at the top of his lungs while crying. "I fucking hate you!"

"Riki..."

"I hate you!" he screams while staring up at Iason, tears glistening his angry and beautifully dark eyes.

Iason calmly glances over at the servants, "Leave." The two immediately obey, setting the real blade down on the step, along with a bar of soap and a washing cloth before they exit. He stares down to the struggling boy in his grip, "Did you really think I'd castrate you?"

"You're fucking evil, you can do anything!" Riki snaps, violently writhing in the hold in attempt to escape. In a blur he's lifted, weightlessness briefly takes over before he meets the bottom of the bathtub behind them. He coughs as water fills his lungs, struggling to sit up with his hands bound by the heavy weight material. A hand reaches down and pulls his head above the water, allowing him to sputter and gasp for air while coughing up the invader in his lungs.

"You're incredibly obstinate," the Prince growls, still holding the mongrel up by his hair. "If you don't behave within the next week you are dead, understand me?"

"Let...go..." he grunts through his gnashed teeth.

"As you wish," the Prince coldly agrees, dropping the mongrel back into the water. Riki struggles to sit up, his bound hands preventing him from supporting his upper half and lifting himself to the air. Once again, Iason pulls his head above the water, running his fingers through the black hair, "Are you drowning?"

"S...koff...stop..." Riki gasps, coughing up water that has found it's way into his throat.

"Are you ready to behave?"

"No—" His head once again is submerged, his lungs protesting as they did not regain their full air capacity. He flails helplessly and frantically, trying to sit up, but the bindings keep dragging him in a position too low for him to sit up enough to breathe. He coughs under the water, his lungs taking in the forbidden liquid unwillingly. 'This is it...huh?' he thinks, laying against the bottom of the deep tub.

"Are you ready to behave?" the man repeats, pulling him through the water. His body shakes violently as he sputters and chokes under the watch of the cold blue eyes.

"Stop...no more...!" Riki pleads while coughing harshly, his lungs squeezing violently as if they are rags wringing the water out of them.

"Will you behave?"

Riki continues to gasp and cough, not answering the man's question. Taking the lack of response as his answer, Iason rips him out from the tub while grasping onto the boy's collar and hair. He throws him down onto the floor, standing over the hacking and heaving boy. "Now, Riki. I will show you an example of what I own of you."

—

"S—stop!" he gasps, twisting away from the blonde's fingers. "A—ah...ah...!" he moans, regardless of his despise for the man doing this to him, his body betrays him, readily accepting the stimulation.

Iason thrusts his fingers deeper, trying to get the mongrel as hard as he can so he is easier to shave. If he had control over the boy's erection while he was shaving then he might be more obedient was his hope. And he hadn't cum before, so he should be eager to receive release as his reward for obediently being shaved—that was how all Master's coaxed their slaves into being willingly shaved. He glances up, seeing the boy's arms and legs spasm each time he thrusts inside, stroking his pleasure spot. 'This should be enough...' He gracefully pulls out and presses the boy's perineum area, with the other hand he tugs down gently on his testicles to ultimately prevent him from coming.

"A—ah!" he moans, his body immediately jolting and the urge to ejaculate withdrawing. He stares down at the Prince who is holding the shaving blade in one hand and applying the wet bar of soap to his pubic hair patch. He rubs it around he area smoothly until it becomes frothy with suds, before setting it aside and positioning the blade over top. "N–no!" Riki protests, trying to move his hips away, but the blonde grabs hold of his penis firmly to reign him to an immediate halt.

"Now..." the man rumbles, staring up at him with ice cold eyes, "Shall we start?"

Riki twists his face away, refusing to look at the sight of his manhood's hair disappearing so he's as naked as a newborn babe. The blade stops against his skin, causing him to stiffen and glance over.

"Are you watching, Riki?" the Prince icily asks, refusing to begin until the boy has his attention fully on the act of him dominating and claiming his lower regions. "If you're struggling, I can get Daryl to come help you."

"Don't you dare...!"

—

"Let go of me!" Riki howls, trying to fight against the one boy holding his upper body still as Daryl holds his face firmly in place; forcing him to look at the action taking place in front of him every time his eyes open. The cool blade runs near his erect member that has been tied with a piece of a thin leather string, causing him to flinch in fear of being accidentally cut.

"If you behave, I'll grant you release, Riki," the Prince bargains, sliding the blade slowly and carefully along the boy's skin. He runs his hand over the shaved area, ensuring there isn't a single stubble left. "Aah...the feeling of the hairless skin of a slave..." he mocks, sliding his hand from the area to the boy's secreting slit to tease it.

"Nn...nnnngh...!" the mongrel moans, biting his lips so he doesn't make anymore sounds than he already has. He didn't want to give this man anymore pleasure from doing such an embarrassing act to him!

"Does this humiliation make you feel good, boy?" he taunts, flicking the mongrel's penis hard. In response, Riki's hole twitches while a muffled moan escapes from the pale lips pressed together. "Are you getting off on this? Does it make you feel good?" He harshly taps the boy's erection downward, watching as it slowly rises up in a few trembling attempts.

"No," Riki hisses, his dark eyes slowly rising to meet the ice cold blue ones. "It's disgusting."

"You say that..." Iason trails, running his finger along the length of the mongrel's erection, "And yet, you're reacting quite well for someone who is disgusted by humiliation." He continues the slow shaving, "I think you're not being honest, Slave."

—

"There we go," he sounds, admiring the hairless area. He places his hand on the boy's skin, slowly sliding up the smooth surface all the way to the stomach area. "For a mongrel your skin has no marks and your body isn't bad either..."

"Stop...touching me!" Riki snarls, shivering from the touch and build up of sensations. He needed release! His cock pulsates and twitches as if reminding Prince Iason that the deal was if he behaved it would be dealt with.

"Ah...yes, I suppose I should honor our agreement," he notes, sliding back to a standing position. "Very well, just answer this one question and I will let you release." He steps on Riki's erection, pushing it painfully downwards.

"A—Ahh!" the mongrel cries out in pain, the muscles in his neck bulging as he grits his teeth to bear with the pain of having his penis crushed under the cruelty of the Prince.

"Who owns you?"

"No one...!" Riki growls through his gnashed teeth, his body twisting in pain.

"Wrong answer," Iason coldly replies, applying more weight downwards. "Who owns you, Riki?"

"I—! I belong to no one!" he manages to hiss, sweat starting to drip down from his body that''s trembling in pain.

Prince Iason stares down at the mongrel, 'What an obstinate being you are. Even in these circumstances you refuse to obey.' He lifts his foot, causing the mongrel to gasp in relief from having the pressure removed from his sensitive area. "I will have to make you see just who owns you," he vows, bending over to remove the binding on the boy's cock. "Starting tomorrow I will train you every single day. And you will realize..." He tugs the knot loose, "That you live only for me now."


	6. A Dash of Kindness

"You must walk with me on the leash during the event, so we will practice everyday so you can comfortably walk with me," he instructs while tugging the chain. "If you cause a fuss at the event, Her Majesty will send you out back and have your throat slit. Understand?"

Riki grits his teeth, but follows behind the blonde. He wasn't happy when the usually busy blonde suddenly announced he had ample time to waste on him. And he was certainly not thrilled to be once again led to the dinning area by a leash.

"Sit down," Prince Iason whispers, looking down at the spot in front of the chair by his feet.

Riki grudgingly obeys, knowing that the Queen of Death might be entering soon. He peeks across the table, noticing that there were still no others. The smell of food meets his nose, causing him to salivate in his mouth. He hadn't eaten much and his stomach was eager to reverse the damage of starvation, but he also wanted to continue his hunger strike.

"Oh, you brought it," a familiar voice bluntly says, before a chair is pulled out.

He stares up to see the blonde from the slave auction peering down at him. His green eyes analyzing him for a moment before flickering away in disinterest. 'What's your problem?' he snarls inside.

"I heard that that is going to be accompanying you to the event, is that true?"

"Indeed, he is," the Prince acknowledges, "We have a lot of work to do, don't we, Riki?"

The blue eyes glance down at him, in return he glares up at him; a small scowl on his face.

"It appears you might not succeed," Prince Raoul notices.

"Oh but I will," he assures, tugging the chain upwards, "Right, Riki?" The mongrel grits his teeth, preventing himself from lashing out in case the Queen arrives. "Where's Mother?"

"I'm not sure," Raoul answers.

Riki slouches against the chair, blocking out the Princes' conversation as he waits for everything to be over. He just wanted to go home, that was all he truly wanted. With each passing day, what ever remained of his friends would be disappearing. His family had all died off, his father outliving his mother by a few months. They left him in the care of his friends who too had lost their parents to the plague which had killed off the previous generations. If he didn't hurry he'd be left behind by them, or they might be hunted off in his absence. They had all taken an oath as friends to die together so no one would be left alone, and he planned on honoring it.

"Riki," the man repeats, trying to call his spaced out slave back to reality.

"Hmm—!" The gloved thumb presses food inside his mouth unexpectedly, causing him to jolt in fear. "Mmm...!" he sounds as the thumb glides through his mouth, stroking the roof of his mouth.

Prince Iason pulls out with satisfaction, "Doesn't the fruit taste so good during this time of the year, Riki?" he grins, watching the boy quickly chew and swallow. "Would you like some more?" The boy's stomach growls, he really wanted food, no matter what it was. "Open your mouth, I'll feed you."

The thought of being fed disperses his need for food. He turns his head away, silently rebelling against the idea.

"You don't want anymore?"

He did! He did! But he didn't want to be fed like a helpless infant. Why couldn't this man just hand him the food and let him eat on his own? Why do something so embarrassing?

"Riki, do you want more or not?"

Giving in to his hunger, he nods. He opens his mouth slightly, just enough to part his teeth so the food can enter.

"Good boy," Prince Iason praises softly, sliding the fruit to his lips. He presses it gently into the boy's mouth, once again sliding his thumb along the sensitive part of the boy's mouth.

"Hmm..." he moans, trying to pull away from the fingers. Iason slides it further back, causing him to shiver from the unusual texture running over his erogenous area.

"That feels good?" the Prince asks, surprised to find such a sensitive area. He slides his finger to the front, watching the mongrel shiver again.

Prince Raoul coughs, trying to avert Iason from doing such acts at the table. "You really shouldn't baby it," he neutrally points out. "You should just drop food on the floor and make him pick it up on his own."

"I like this way better," Iason defends, sliding another piece of fruit into the slave's mouth. "Good boy." He ruffles Riki's hair, in return the boy moves his head away from the affection.

Riki chews, a slight scowl appearing briefly as he leans against the corner of the chair. It wasn't comfortable at all, frankly it hurt to lean against the hard wood of the chair. A hand guides him against the Prince's legs, causing him to jolt forward.

"Lean against me," Prince Iason instructs, "You'll be more comfortable."

He hesitates, positioning himself so he's barely leaning back against the Prince's right leg.

Iason pulls him back so he's against his leg, "Behave, Riki."

He's about to protest, but the door opens and Queen Jupiter appears. He bites back his words and leans against the Prince's legs. 'Fuck...there's no winning!'

"Here," the Prince beckons gently, breaking a warm biscuit in half. "Open your mouth."

Riki obeys, glancing over to see the Queen being seated. He accepts the biscuit willingly, surprised and almost disappointed when the Prince quickly withdraws his fingers. Shock and disgust fill him as he realizes he was waiting for the blonde to stroke the sensitive areas in his mouth, he turns his head away in shame.

"Do you not want anymore?" the Prince whispers, concerned that the mongrel is pulling away after eating so little.

"I'm fine," he hisses, refusing to look up anymore because of how ashamed and disgusted he is.

Taking the attitude the wrong way, the blue eyes grow cold. "So be it."

"My, my, very obedient," Queen Jupiter notices from spot at the table, her strong voice filling the room.

Iason nods his head in a swift motion, acknowledging his Mother's praise. "He is a quick learner when he tries."

"I hope he learns quickly, or else it would be a shame," she sighs, "I wouldn't enjoy seeing you unhappy again, my Son. But as we agreed, if he does not behave for the entirety of the event he will be disposed of." Riki tenses, the reality of his situation becoming crystal clear.

"I assure you, Mother," the Prince answers, his hand gently touching the mongrel's head, "I will do everything in my power to prevent that from happening. I do not enjoy the thought of losing an irreplaceable mongrel due to disobedience."

"Very well," she nods, raising a glass to her lips. "I wish you the best, my Son."

—

"Come, Riki." He tugs on the chain, leading the boy out of the dinning area.

Riki follows behind, not daring to fight while he's remotely close to Queen Jupiter. He wanted as much distance as humanly possible between him and that women. They approach the Prince's room, servants open the door for them.

Prince Iason immediately pushes him into the wall, startling the mongrel. "Good boy," he praises, patting the dark skin with his gloved hand. Riki snarls, moving to hit the hand away, but Iason catches it. "Even while I'm praising you, you still defy me."

"Stop touching me," Riki hisses, taking a brave step forward while the blonde holds his hand.

The Prince frowns, "You are my Slave, I can do as I please with you." He slides his tongue along the boy's hand, all the way to in between the pointer and middle finger.

"Hnn...s–stop it!" Riki shivers, tugging against the iron grip.

"Does this feel good?" the Prince asks, feeling the boy shake beneath him.

"No," the mongrel hisses, he'd never admit that anything the Prince did to him felt good!

"Hmm," he sounds, pressing the boy into the wall with his body. He pushes a knee upwards and massages the boy's groin area. "But you seem to be a little bit hard down here."

Riki curses silently, screaming internally at the gods for making his body be so damn sensitive to every little thing. It was because he hadn't had a lot of physical contact outside of fighting, and when he did it was usually from one of his friends. Nearly all the females, if not all, had died off, making male relationships the only outlet for sexual relief. So when gentle contact was initiated it was usually of a sensual kind, therefore, Riki's body had grown accustomed to immediately responding to the touches.

"You're very sensitive," the Prince observes, rubbing the boy's penis through the pants. "Responding so quickly to the touch of someone you hate."

"A–ah! Stop, you bast—!" The Prince presses upwards roughly, silencing him by causing him to gasp.

"If only you'd be as obedient as you were this morning," Prince Iason whispers in the boy's ear. "Then I wouldn't have to hurry and teach you to behave. Do you have a death wish? Is that why you won't obey me?"

"Maybe," he growls, staring up to the blue eyes. "If I die then I wouldn't belong to you anymore."

"Then you shall die by my hands only," the Prince vows.

"What?"

The blonde man presses his lips against the mongrel's, sliding his tongue forcefully into the hot mouth. 'I'll subdue you, you won't be able to live without me.'

"Mm...mnn..." he moans, shivering as the man slides his tongue slowly along the erogenous zones in his mouth. He presses his hands against Iason to fight back, but he grabs onto them and pins them to the wall. "Haa...Mmm...!" Iason rubs his erection with his knee, causing him to shudder from the stimulation.

The Prince finally pulls back, breathing a bit heavier. He stares at the mongrel, observing the tears forming in the corner of his mesmerizingly dark eyes. He presses a gloved hand to the boy's chest, feeling the sped up thumping of the heart under the skin. Some sort of tickle inside his brain causes him to freeze, he had the urge to throw the boy on the ground and take him. He had never, ever had that urge towards one of his servants, so why him?

"Haaa...haa...let go of me," Riki pants, feebly hitting the Prince's arm away.

He presses his lips to the mongrel's again, drinking the sweetness hiding inside the hot mouth. He steals the little breath the boy had recovered quickly as he advances further.

"S–Stop!" the boy wheezes, going light headed from the lack of air. Iason scoops him up into his arms, "L...Let go!" He weakly smacks the Prince across the face, the man barely flinches as he pushes him into the bed. "N-no...!"

The Prince pulls out the boy's erection, sliding it into his hands. To Riki's embarrassment, he studies it, tracing his fingers over every nook and cranny.

"Stop! Let me go, dammit!" he growls, thrashing upwards to push the man away. With a mere hand pressed against his chest, he falls hard down into the bed.

Iason pumps the penis in his hand, his blue eyes burning holes into the mongrel's face as he watches. He wanted to see how the boy reacted to him only pleasing him, no aphrodisiac assistance. His curiosity was running wild, he wanted to know all the expressions of pleasure the boy had.

"No!" he howls, gripping into the blonde's shoulder. He tries to push him away, but the man doesn't budge a centimetre. "A–ah...no...nnnngh!" He twists away to free himself, but Iason grabs onto his hips, securing him. "Fuck...nnnn...!"

'You are most sensitive here,' Iason notes, stroking the particular spot of the boy's cock repeatedly. He continues to watch the mongrel before him struggle against his bodily reactions.

"Stop...ah...staring!"

"Does it embarrass you to have your Master watch you in such a shameful state?"

"You're not—Ahhh!" He loses control of himself, his hands gripping onto the sheets as he convulses. He splatters white semen up his belly, the warmth dripping down his sweaty skin.

The Prince stares at the panting boy, a minute feeling of arousal overtaking him. This mongrel was dangerously seductive, if he wasn't careful he could lose his cool. He reaches down, running his hand up the boy's body. Riki gasps, shuddering beneath him as his extremely sensitive body reacts to the stimuli.

"A...ah..." he breathes softly, his mind lost in the white haze of pleasure. 'Damn...feels too good...' He closes his eyes, his tongue glides along his lips, his tired body easing back in relief.

Iason touches the boy's face, "Even you can make such a peaceful expression..." He runs his thumb under the boy's eye, wiping away the tears.

—

He jolts awake, his body immediately tensing to an alert state. An immense fear clenches him heart, causing him to jump up and scramble off the bed. "No..no!" he shrieks, nearly hitting the floor, but two arms pull him back up.

"Hey," the Prince whispers, grasping gently onto the hyperventilating boy. "Hey, hey, breathe." He props the wheezing boy into a straight position, holding him still so his shaking doesn't cause him to fall.

"I—haa...haaa—no...haaa...need to...haa...haaa..!" he incoherently murmurs, his mind locked in a state of panic. He fumbles in the hold, trying to escape and find a safe haven.

Iason gazes into the boy's unfocused eyes, "You're still dreaming. Hey, Riki." He gives the boy a shake, trying to wake him up so he can calm down before he passes out.

"No, no, no!" he murmurs, pushing frantically against the Prince to pry himself free. His eyes wide with fear, he panics like a rabbit caught in a trap.

Unsure of now to alleviate the boy's panic attack, Iason pulls him against his body, gently holding him. "You're safe, you're safe..."

Riki trembles, the past taking over his mind again. He tries to block it out, but fragments bounce around in his head. He wraps his hands around his head instinctively, curling up into a scared ball.

Startled by the turn in behavior, Iason gently pulls Riki onto his chest, covering them both with a blanket. He runs his fingers through the boy's hair in a gentle and soothing motion, hoping to ease the boy in the throes of mental torment. He rumbles out soft reassuring phrases until the mongrel has stopped shaking, and his breathing evens out.

—

"I need you to look something up for me," he commands to the redhead, abruptly entering the office.

Katze looks up, "What can I find for you, your Highness?"

"Trace any history of my slave, Riki," he starts, "Background, family ties, family debts, anything at all. Get me any information you can, no matter what. You'd best start at the Slave Auction. They said he was a known thief, use the connections known from there to get me any information to start."

"Will do, your Highness."

—

The inside of his head felt mushy, like someone had shoved algae into his head in place of a brain. He slowly lifts his body upwards, his limbs not following his orders promptly. What happened to him? Why did he feel so tired? He slept the whole night! He didn't even dream he was so deep into sleep!

"You're awake," a familiar voice startles him from his lost thoughts. "Come. We are going to go eat."

Riki gazes up to see the Prince holding the chain. "Not hungry..."

"Then come sit with me anyways, you still need to get comfortable with walking beside me," he reminds, stepping forward with the chain. "Come."

"No," he spits, throwing a pillow at the annoying Prince. "I'm not going!"

The Prince strides forward, striking the boy with his hand. "You're coming with me, whether you want to or not. Her Majesty Jupiter is expecting to see you everyday at breakfast. If you are not there she will dispose of you earlier, and I will not be able to stop her." He clips the chain to the collar, tugging the boy forward. "Now, come."

"Fuck you..." he hisses low under his breath, following behind the Prince. Immediately he's on the ground, staring up at the blonde while his cheek stings.

"Profanity will not be tolerated anymore," the man warns. "If you don't fix your tongue, I will punish you right here."

Riki grits his teeth, glaring up at the Prince, "Why me? You could've chose anyone else! Why me!"

"You are not anyone else," he answers simply, "You are one of the only mongrels left. How could I not chose an entertaining person such as yourself?"

"Fuck you, I'm not your personal toy!"

Iason pulls a crop from the side of his boot, whipping the mongrel hard across the chest with enough force to send him flat to the ground. "Your language, boy."

"I hate you," Riki hisses, "Burn in hell, you bastard!" Iason whips him hard across the face, a thin line of blood dripping down from his already bruised face.

"Are you finished?"

He quiets down, touching his stinging cheek in attempt to soothe it. The Prince pulls up on the chain, forcing him back to his feet to follow him to the dinning area.

"Oh my," Prince Raoul muses, "I take it training isn't going so well?"

"Silence, Raoul," Iason hisses, roughly yanking Riki down to the ground. He falls hard on his knees, his head nearly smacking the ground from the tug. "You'll eat like a dog today as punishment," the blonde hisses, dropping a piece of fruit on the floor. "I hope you're satisfied with your consequences."

The green eyed Prince watches, a mixture of amusement and concern clouding the orbs. He was pleased his brother was finally treating his slave properly, but he did not enjoy seeing his sibling in such a foul mood. "I heard that a number of ladies have been requesting your hand in marriage, how is that fairing?"

Irritation floods over him, he did not wish to even think about it. "Don't even speak of it," the blue eyed Prince snaps. "I refuse to marry those rich whores."

"They are bound to their chastity though," he frowns, "They are not whores."

"All they want from me is my money and status," Iason sighs angrily. "I'm not interested in being used by a women."

"Mother will have a fit if you don't produce an heir," Prince Raoul reminds.

"Then let her," he scoffs, "I refuse to marry any of the women requesting." He drops another small piece of fruit on the floor. Glancing down to watch Riki, the two pieces of fruit still lay on the floor; untouched by the boy. "Eat," he hisses, pushing the boy's head down so his lips are touching the fruit, "Eat without using your hands, boy. Or else I'll whip you for your disobedience."

Riki hesitates, but bites the fruit, managing to take it into his mouth to eat. Inside he was cursing the Prince to die a million times over in the fiery pits of Hades.

"Oh my," a strong female voice sounds, causing the blonde's head to snap up, "Is everything all right, Iason?"

The Prince swiftly contains his emotions, a gentle smile on his face, "Everything is fine, Mother."

Her eyebrows raises slightly, "Carry on."

—

"AGHH!" Riki screams, the belt cracking down on his exposed and sore ass. His body jolts against the restraints, shaking in agony.

"You just don't learn," Iason coldly growls, circling around the hanging boy. "So I think I'll leave you here. Maybe then you'll realize how much you need me."

"Fuck you, I don't need you!"

"We shall see," the Prince icily promises, popping the cork off the crystal container. He presses it to the mongrel's lips, pouring it down the boy's throat and forcing him to swallow. Riki chokes as the liquid rushes and burns on the way down, trying to twist his head away. Iason roughly holds his head still, making him drink every last drop. "You will be begging for release within the hour." He turns to stare at his servants, "No one touch, talk, feed or even look at him. He is to be left absolutely alone, understand?" He's about to leave, but turns back one last time, pulling out a leather strap. "Almost forgot." He ties it around the mongrel's penis.

Riki coughs against the chains holding his body up. The bindings on his feet spread his legs open so he's in the shape of an X. "I'll never..."

"Oh yes you will," he snaps, crudely grasping onto the boy's chin.

—

"Ah...ah...hnnn—ahh!" he moans, his mind lost to the thick haze of pleasure. The aphrodisiac given to him had completely messed up his mind. He didn't know where he was, how long he'd been there or even who he was. All he knew was that his body was burning like one of hell's hottest flames and he couldn't help it. He bucks his hips, trying desperately to ease the fire, but nothing helps.

The door opens, flooding the pitch black room with a fraction of light. A figure steps in, approaching him very slowly.

"H..help...aah...ah...!" he moans, desperate for any sort of relief.

"Oh? You want help?" the dark figure taunts, lighting a candle and setting it in front of him. "You want my help?"

"P...please..." he moans, begging the nameless dark figure to help him. The phantom figure sits down in a chair, the whites of his eyes catching the light of the candle as they peer at him. "S...stop...hnnnngh..." He shakes his hips in a thrusting motion, trying to somehow release the pent up agony. "Help..." The figure just sits there, not coming to his aid or reassuring him he'll be all right. Tears of frustration well up in his eyes, adding more stains to his wet face. "H...help...ah...hah...!" His body convulses, the clinking of chains along with his sounds fill the room.

He wakes up in front of the fireplace on the bear skin rug. His body aches, nausea overtaking his stomach in a violent wave. He's about to sit up when a bowl is thrust towards his face. Riki stares up to see the boy with the scars from before, "You..."

"Shut it, if you're gonna hurl at least do it in the bowl," he growls, pressing it closer to the mongrel's face. "Tired of cleaning up your vomit."

Riki takes the bowl, sprawling out on the rug while he waits for the nausea to either overtake him or subside. "Hey. What's your name?"

"Jak," he answers, "But you can't call me that. You'll get into trouble."

"I don't care," Riki grumbles, another wave of nausea hitting him hard. He throws up in the bowl, his body heaving up the liquids and what little food he had inside him.

Jak waltzes over and wipes off the mongrel's forehead with a wet wash cloth, before giving it to him to wipe his face off. "Are you feeling better now?" he asks, taking the bowl to go discard the contents.

"Fucking perfect," Riki hisses, flopping down on the rug. "Fuck I can't do this anymore. I can't stay here..."

Jak comes back, crouching down in front of Riki. His stance resembles something of a shy child waiting to tell someone a secret. "You know, Riki, if you behaved the chances of you actually being healthy and happier would be higher."

"You think I'll be happy here?" he snorts, starting at the boy like he's an idiot. "My happiness lies outside these walls."

"You'd rather go outside and die within a few days than stay here?"

"Yes," he snaps, "And you wanna know why?" He glares up at the boy, "Because it'll have been my decision! It would mean I had the freedom to pick that fate and I lived it."

"I think you should reconsider," Jak advises, "I've heard from the grape vine that several of the remaining people like you are being hunted off for rewards."

Riki's blood runs cold, he knew that they would be always target practice for people. But the fact that they were now being hunted for rewards was incredible, someone was trying to make them extinct!

"If you behaved, maybe Master would help you find some of your remaining people," Jak points out. "I don't think you realize how much trouble he's gone through to keep you."

"What do you mean?"

"That first night you were here..." Jak explains, sitting on his knees, "Master had several messengers come to him. Each demanding that he pay for some damage that you had caused their Master's." Riki freezes, he didn't know any of this. "One had demanded that you be given over to him because of the damage you'd done to his reputation. But Master paid all of them off, silencing each and every one. And mind you, that was on top of your debt payment. Which was a shiny coin as well." Jak stares at the shocked mongrel, "So I think you really should give him a chance, Riki. He really did save you just as he did me."

He rolls over, brewing over everything in his mind. He didn't know what to do anymore, he was so confused.

"Riki?"

"Leave me alone," he breathes angrily, not facing the boy. "I need to think."

"OK," Jak answers softly, standing up. "I hope you reconsider."


	7. The Old Tale

"Have you had a nice long rest, Riki?" the Prince asks, approaching the boy laying on the rug. "Are you ready to behave and come eat?"

Riki hears the clinking of the chains for the leash, he had spent a lot of time thinking about what Jak had said. He slowly stands up, walking silently towards Iason and stopping in front of him. Surprised by the action, Iason hooks the chain to the collar, expecting a reaction or fight to occur. Riki disappoints and baffles him, refusing to show any emotion at all as he waits to be lead into the dinning room.

"What's this?" the Prince ponders aloud, brushing his gloved hand along the boy's face. "You've become strangely obedient overnight." His gloved hand traces all the way down the boy's long sleeved black tunic, stopping in the middle where his heart is.

Riki scowls, showing the Prince he isn't broken yet. "Are we going or not?" he snaps, crossing his arms to subtly get the Prince's hands off of him.

The blue eyes grow colder, "We are," he curtly answers, tugging the chain. Riki follows behind him, his arms still crossed. They enter the dinning area, walking over their usual spot. Iason's just about to command Riki to sit, but his words are left in his mouth as the black haired boy lowers himself and sits down at his feet without being told. 'Something is not right here. He's being obedient, what happened to his endless fighting spirit?'

A servant places a gold dish in front of Iason, before pouring him a drink. Riki stares up, his nose catching the scent of food. He was incredibly hungry, his stomach growls as if crying at the taunting platter above them. His dark eyes gaze up at the Prince who is cutting through the said food. The blue eyes catch the charcoal orbs, both holding their ground. "Are you hungry?" the Prince asks, a soft chuckle escaping as he looks done at the boy; he looked like a puppy. "Open your mouth."

Riki growls internally, the blonde was mocking him. He decides to get back at the stuck up Prince for treating him like a dog. He opens his mouth to accept the food, waiting for the Prince to slide it inside. The gloved finger traces along the roof, causing him to shiver. The devil inside him grins as he flips the finger under his tongue and playfully bites down. Immediately the fingers withdraw, a string of saliva drips out. 'Haha, got you!' he triumphantly exclaims to himself, licking his lips while swallowing the small food piece.

Iason stares down at the boy, curiosity and a bit of fascination building up inside of him. He gracefully grabs another piece of food, sticking it into the boy's mouth. After he's done swallowing, he grabs the boy's tongue, watching as he jolts from the unexpected action. The dark eyes stare up at him, the whole thing seemed to have an erotic air about it. Riki glides the tip of his tongue along the fingers, trying to get the blonde to let go. Iason reaches over with his other hand and places another piece of food on the boy's tongue, running it along the shaking organ. Riki shivers, reaching a hand up to touch the blonde's knee to signal a warning to stop. The blonde let's go, watching as the mongrel hurriedly wipes the drool from his face before swallowing the food.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself," a disgusted voice notes, causing the Prince to turn.

"I am, thank you," Iason admits to Raoul who just rolls his eyes.

"He's so docile today, did you break him?"

"I'm not sure," he admits, staring down at Riki, "Well, why are you so docile today, Slave?"

Riki looks away, not offering any hints. He was just trying to give Jak's reasoning a try. And he was also incredibly tired and sore, so he wanted to recuperate.

"Docile and mute, my God you must tell me what sort of drug you administered to him!" Prince Raoul laughs, "It might come in handy."

'Fuck off, you bastard,' he hisses inside, scowling up at the laughing blonde.

"Please don't ruin it," Iason says swiftly, "It's a pleasant change, and if it keeps going then Mother will allow me to keep him. Regardless of what you may believe, I do not get everything I want without a cost."

'And if I behave somewhat maybe you'll help find some of my friends and protect them from being killed,' Riki adds internally, hoping that if he obeyed and went to the event the Prince would do him that favor. At least then he'd know where they were, and when the time came, they could all die together as promised. That would be a huge slap to the Prince's face and reputation. After all of his efforts to keep him as well as his friends, they would commit suicide together and prove that their pride lives on. That thought was his motivation to at least try to behave just enough to see how much he could use the Prince to his advantage. Since his chances of escaping easily were appearing to be low.

—

"Come, let's return to my room," the Prince informs him, waiting for him to rise up and follow behind. He didn't tug the chain this time, which was nice because Riki's neck was starting to get a nasty bruise in the shape of the collar.

Riki follows behind, stopping when the Prince halts outside the dinning room. "W...what?" he speaks up, wondering why they aren't returning.

"Walk closer to me," Iason instructs, gently tugging the chain. "I can't have you trailing that far behind me at the event. It will be crowded, and the chain might cause issues. So walk a bit closer to me."

Riki hesitantly steps a bit closer, "This better?"

Iason tugs him so they are nearly side by side. "This distance will be good." He watches Riki shuffle a bit, trying to distance themselves a bit more. Iason steals the chain, shortening the distance to what he set, "Let's go."

The mongrel scowls, but follows behind, not to thrilled to be even closer to the Prince.

—

"Come," the Prince beckons, "We are going to bathe."

Riki glares, remembering how the last sessions in the bathroom went. He didn't want to be a part of anything else that could be along those lines.

"Come, Riki," he calls again, crooking his finger at the boy. Riki hesitates but slowly makes his way over the Prince, watching him to make sure he wasn't going to whip out some sort of punishment item. The blonde grabs his hand, leading him into the bathroom. A steaming tub awaits, filling the stone room with moisture and heat.

Riki lets the blonde go ahead, hanging back by the door. Two servants quickly remove any chances of escaping by blocking the exit.

"Now, I'm going to teach you how to bathe me," Iason explains, motioning for him to come forward.

Riki stiffens, suddenly losing the urge to be obedient. He wasn't a slave, he never could be.

"If you're that intimidated by my good looks then you'll never be able to do anything," the blonde mocks, trying to irk the mongrel into following his orders.

Accomplishing just that, Riki huffs and marches over, "What do I do first?"

—

"Like this?" he confirms, running the wash cloth along the perfection.

"Mm," Iason nods, leaning his head back and closing his eyes as he relaxes. It had been so long since he had a chance to really take a moment to breath.

The wash cloth stops, he had cleaned the entirety of the man's chest, arms and sides. "Now where?" Without opening his eyes, the blonde grabs onto the mongrel's hand, guiding it lower. Riki feels the mans limp penis briefly under the cloth as the hand guides him to the thigh area, he cringes a bit at how big it is.

"After you're done you can wash my back as well," he mentions, still leaning back without opening his eyes.

Riki continues to scrub the man's legs, a bit of jealousy and admiration taking over him at how perfect the body before him was. Not a single flaw could be found, not a mark on the skin or anything. He sets the leg down and starts the other one, carefully and quickly wiping down the flesh. He wanted to get it over as fast as he could. "Your back..."

Iason opens a blue eye, "Very good, I knew you had skill as a slave."

Riki immediately scowls, he wasn't a slave! He begins to stand up, but strong hands pull him down, causing water to splash out of the tub from the movement. "Let go, fucker," he hisses, trying to tug away.

"Come now, don't tell me you're going to end your obedience streak after a compliment?" the blonde breathes, entwining his fingers with the mongrel's.

"I'm not a slave!"

"Then what are you?"

Riki pauses, not sure what he was, he wasn't a free man anymore that's for sure. "I'm a man being held again my wishes!" he answers, trying to untangle their fingers. "I didn't—"

"You chose this," Iason interrupts with a calm voice, staring into the blue eyes. "Do you not recall choosing me over death? If I hadn't purchased you, you would be in the heap of bodies for the slaves not bought and accused of various crimes."

Riki grits his teeth, "What other choice did I have! They would've killed me before the end of the day because...!"

"So why must you fight with me? Did I not take you in? Did I not offer you the chance to live comfortably?"

Jak's words replay through his head, causing him to growl in disgust and avert his angry dark eyes.

"Those eyes..." Iason breathes, touching the mongrel's face with his other hand.

Riki flickers his gaze back to the blonde, but quickly reverts due to the magnitude of the gaze. He pushes the hand away, "Enough... your back..."

—

"I have a matter to attend to, wait here and behave, understand?" the Prince explains, hanging back in the doorway.

"I have no where else to go," Riki hisses under his breath, plopping down in front of the fireplace. He sprawls out and runs his fingers through the fluffy rug, it must've take hours or days to get it this soft. His scratches his stomach through the fabric of his long black tunic, he was grateful they at least gave him clothing to wear. The rags he had on the day he was bought had vanished, and and in place of them were dark colored, long tunics for shirts; black and tan colored loose fitting pants and tall black soft leather boots. He was especially happy about the boots, they shielded his cut up feet.

Jak strolls through a door, walking over to make up the bed. "Good morning," he bows to Riki, before continuing over to the large bed.

Riki weakly raises his arm in a wave, the minimal action of acknowledgement. Jak continues to make the bed, not offering any words this time. The sound of the heavy fabrics shifting is the only sound in the room, along with his soft footsteps and the crackling of the fireplace. He finishes his task, nodding in approval before starting towards the door.

"Wait," Riki calls out, stopping the boy in his tracks.

"Yes?"

"Were you serious when you said that he might find my friends and offer protection?" he asks, staring up at the boy in the doorway.

"I believe he would do anything really, he made you his personal slave to free you from death, did he not?" Jak answers, pausing before he adds, "If you behaved and asked him to, I'm sure he would work something out for you. He did go through the countless messengers demanding compensation too, remember?" He turns to leave, abandoning Riki to the locked room and crackling of the fire.

"Damn brat..." he hisses under his breath, rolling over onto his side.

—

"How is your slave today?" Queen Jupiter asks, sitting in her throne as she awaits her visitors.

"He is doing very well, Mother," Prince Iason answers, "I assure you that he will be no trouble at all at the event."

"And afterwards?"

"If he continues the way he is, there should be no problems," he explains calmly.

"I hope he does not cause anymore problems," she notes, "I refuse to house an unruly slave."

"Yes, Mother."

"Anyways, that's not why I called you here," she sighs, sitting up in her gold and bejeweled chair. "There have been numerous accusations of treason recently in the lower and fraction of the middle class. It appears that many lower class civilians are wanting to overthrow our ruling."

"I thought the only ones who would be accused of that are the lower class such as my slave," Iason answers, disbelief overtaking him. "But they are disappearing faster than a wolf pack taking down sheep. There is no way they could do that now. Who else is going to rebel against you, Mother?"

"The ones rebelling against me are a class of mixed blood. Foolish middle class and mongrel combined, they are what make up the new lower class. Your mongrel used to make up the majority of the lower class, but since they are all dying off, this new class has become the lower class, that is how rare a pure mongrel is."

"I thought that mongrels generally bred within their own clans to preserve their race?"

"Not always," she corrects, "Over the years the males have taken several middle class women to bed after charming them, thus as said, a new class will take over in the place of the mongrels. Once the handful left are killed off, the pure mongrel race will be extinct minus yours—if I'm not forced to kill him off."

"But would that not make the mongrel class an especially rare and valuable species?" Prince Iason points out.

"Blood as impure as that is not rare or valuable," Queen Jupiter coldly dismisses. "I'm actually happy that the new lower class has a bit of purity to clean up the future generations. The mongrel blood will slowly cease to exist and a new purity of blood will arise within the classes."

"How many mongrels do you suppose are left?"

"One mixed clan of all the left over survivors," she answers, "So approximately...under a dozen? And they would all be male. Females have all been killed off. There is only the one clan left, which I assume your slave belonged to."

—

Riki restlessly wanders around the room, he was especially sick of these walls caging him. He wouldn't be able to be obedient if he didn't get a glimpse of the world from beyond the room's window. He tugs on the handles of the balcony doors, trying to open them to seek the warmth of the sun on his skin and the fresh air to fill his lungs.

"Riki!" the Prince yells, storming over to him. Startled, Riki falls flat on his ass, staring up at the blonde with a glare of fury. "What are you doing?" he demands, grabbing onto the boy's arm, nearly ripping the long sleeve of the tunic. "You dare try to escape?"

"No! I just want to go outside! I've been cooped up in here for days!" he hisses, standing up abruptly and dishing out attitude in his stance that demands the Prince to let him out. "I'm going crazy in here!"

The Prince eases back slightly, the intense anger that rushed up inside him cools down. "Would you like to come for a ride with me?"

—

The warmth of the sun encases him, the fresh air filling his lungs. The horse snorts softly, trotting through the grassy patched, bright green vegetation and golden wheat field filled lands. The wind rustles the grasses and trees, producing a sweet smell that taints the fresh wind. Riki inhales deeply, grateful to have something other than the Prince's room to see.

A low chuckle rumbles in front of him, "Are you enjoying the ride so far?"

"Other than the fact I can't feel my hands? Yes," he growls back. He twitches his fingers, his arms were around the Prince's waist and his hands were bound securely so that he was attached to the Prince and unable to move or get away.

"It's just a precaution," the Prince replies, steering the horse towards an opening in the forest. "If you ran away you could be killed off by the men hunting your kind down."

Riki snorts, rolling his eyes, "Yeah, what a tragedy that would be."

"My thoughts exactly."

Riki freezes, "What?... You're serious?"

"Losing the last pure mongrel in this world would be a tragedy," he continues, tapping his boot into the horse's side. "Regardless of blood impurity, a species with such features as yours going extinct is a catastrophe. Regardless of what Her Majesty seems to believe."

"You think that my people dying off is a bad thing?" he scoffs in disbelief, shaking his head. "You don't understand how bad it is for us at all."

Iason stiffens, it was true. He didn't know as much about mongrels as he should, he only knew the basics. It was such a small topic to everything else he was doing until Riki arrived. He only knew that when he saw Riki, he wanted to possess him as his own rare animal. "Then tell me so I understand."

"Fuck no, why would I tell you, Prince High and Mighty?"

Iason pinches his hand to scold the language, "Why not? If you're the last one on this world you'll have to tell me how you used to live sooner or later."

"I'm not the last!" he growls, adding silently, 'And if I was I wouldn't want to live anymore...'

"You're not very honest or open about your feelings or life," Iason grimly notes, finding a spot to stop.

"Of course not! What do I like like? A helpless little—!" The horse abruptly stops, causing him to smack into the Prince's back. Pain shoots through his nose as he pulls back, "Ow!"

"We've arrived," the Prince announces, starting to untie the slave's hands.

Riki stares all around them, the forest cover makes everything darker but also beautiful. The rays of sunlight that shine through glisten on the water from the humidity, causing a steam that adds a strong scent of various types of trees and vegetation to the air. Moss and vines grow up the sides of trees, some blossoming flowers that add bright color to the green and brown hue. 'Wow...'

Iason extends his hand and helps him off, "Lets go," he orders, walking forward.

"How do you know I won't try and run away?" Riki asks, staring back at the path they entered from. "You're not keeping me tied or chained?"

"If you run away all I have to do is whistle," he calmly answers, turning to extend his hand to the boy. "You won't get far with my pack of bloodhounds chasing you. Now come."

Riki grimaces, but approaches him, not taking the hand, he hisses bitterly, "I can walk on my own, thank you."

"As you wish," Iason coldly agrees, following behind the mongrel.

Riki huffs, stomping forward so the Prince isn't following him like a hawk ready to swoop in on it's prey. He really was happy to be outside and away from everything, but his pride wouldn't allow him to show it. He continues to growl and glower on the outside as he admires the beautiful scenery on the inside, this place had almost a mystical aura about it. It was like the forest his mother had talked about when she would whisper folk lore to him before he went to sleep. A pang hits his chest as he remembers just how alone he was, they were dead along with all of his friend's parents, and he didn't even know if his friends were still alive. He stops, trying to control the emotion bubbling up inside his chest that's threatening to overflow.

Iason steps behind him and snags his arm, "Tell me what you're thinking..."

"Fuck off!" he snaps, roughly smacking the Prince away. His beautifully dark eyes glisten slightly, causing an unfamiliar feeling to hit Iason's chest as he watches the mongrel storm further up the path.

Iason stands there for a moment, listening to the running steps get further away, before striding swiftly up the path the way the mongrel had gone."Riki?" he calls, looking all around through the trees to find his rare animal. His blue eyes don't find any sign of the slave, filling his chest with a flurry of worry. Even if they weren't far away from the castle, he had no idea where the Mongrel Hunters were located. If Riki managed to get out of the cover of the forest and into the sight of a hunter he would be killed on sight. "Riki!" he calls, listening to his voice echo off the trees.

"Shut it, Prince, I'm up here," the familiar voice growls from above. Iason's head snaps up to find the mongrel sitting on a large tree limb, with his legs pulled close. "I'm not running away, so can I at least have some time alone?"

The Prince relaxes upon finding his rare item, "How did you get up there so quickly?" he asks, crossing his arms as he stares up at the height the mongrel climbed in such a short time.

"You really have to ask?" Riki growls, shifting his position to turn away from the annoyance.

"I'll admit I don't know much about mongrels, so you'll have to forgive my ignorance," the Prince answers, settling down on a large boulder across from the tree so he can watch him.

Riki growls, turning back to the stupid man, "It's in our name for fuck sake. 'We are humans that are the closest thing to animals'!" he snarls the quote. He glares down at the Prince, "Why do you think people have no problem killing us off? They think we are just animals inside human skin!" He watches the Prince, clicking his tongue in disgust and anger at the blonde's intrigued expression, turning abruptly away again. "Now leave me alone."

"I guess I never considered the meaning of your people's name, I just knew your bloodline was the most impure," the man acknowledges, "But you acting in this fashion doesn't prove them wrong." He stares up at the boy's back, "How did your people get that name anyways?"

"An old tale," he bitterly answers, his back still turned. "Supposedly our first ancestors were wolves that over time became humans. Therefore, we are wolves in human skins."

"That's preposterous."

"Yeah? Well go tell everyone hunting us down," he sourly answers, "People have been believing it for forever, so why would they stop now?" He pauses, "Her Majesty seems to have no trouble believing it either."

Silence fills the air, before Iason softly says, "If I were ruling..." He shakes his head, if he were ruling that would mean his Mother had died. Why was he thinking about such things?

"What?" Riki snaps, not catching what the Prince mumbled.

"Come down when you want to go back," the Prince answers, leaving the boy alone as he walks back down the trail.

Riki turns and watches him go, huffing in annoyance at the fact he spoke so casually with his captor. He grits his teeth in frustration, how could he be so open to someone like him? "Aaagh!" he growls, hugging his knees close. Why was everything so complicated?

—

"Glad to see you two back safe and sound!" Maria beams, taking Prince Iason's cloak. "There is an afternoon treat for both of you waiting in your room. I just made it!"

"Thank you, Maria," Iason nods, turning to motion to Riki to come. "Shall we go?"

Riki silently falls in step behind him, the two walk back to the room—no leash connecting them.


	8. May I Have This Dance?

"Is your slave fit for tomorrow?" Queen Jupiter asks, looking away from her messenger.

"Yes, Mother."

"And what clothing did you pick for him?" she inquires, looking back to her scroll.

"The usual, a simple black tunic and—"

"No, no," she snaps, "Those are not clothes for a slave."

Iason frowns, "But they are the simplest of clothing for him. Is that not what you want? Shall I arrange for more elegant clothing?"

"No, my Son," she sighs, "I want you to break him not pamper him. He needs to be put in his place."

"What are you suggesting?" he asks, a little worried that his Mother is plotting something.

—

"I'm not fucking wearing that! What am I a woman!!" Riki snarls, smacking the clothes out of the servants hands. The boy rushes to pick it up, ensuring it's not dirty.

"I know it was not as planned, but it's Her Majesty's orders," Iason insists, striding up to the angry mongrel.

"Her Majesty can kiss my ass! I'm not going out in public dressed like a whore!" The Prince grabs onto his chin, forcing him to look at him. He grips onto the strong arms, trying to hurt the blonde.

"You will wear them, and you will apologize for using such a vulgar tongue when speaking of the Queen," Iason hisses, not letting go.

"Fuck you!"

Iason grabs Riki, throwing him over his shoulder. He walks to the bed while the mongrel howls and fusses, before sitting at the edge. In a simple movement he lays Riki down on his lap, with one hand he yanks the tan breeches down to expose his bottom, while holding both of the boy's wrists in the other. "Apologize and beg for forgiveness for such contempt towards Her Majesty," he orders in a cold voice.

"Fuck no!" he spits, thrashing around in the hold. He flinches and yelps as Iason lands a hard slap across his buttocks. "Ow! You fucker!"

Another hard slap meets his ass, "Apologize for your disrespectful words, now!" He lands another down before the boy can respond to punish his foul attitude.

"Fuck...no!" he hisses through his teeth. He cries out in pain, an even harder slap meeting his already sore ass. He fights to get out of the hold, he wasn't going to apologize for being honest!

"Apologize!" the Prince coldly demands, slapping even harder. He frowns as the boy continues to balk, "Fine then, since this won't make you apologize, I'll see if this will make you talk." He probes the boy's hole with his dry fingers, roughly jutting them inside.

"Aaah!" Riki shrieks, his body jolting in agony from the merciless dry penetration. He starts to fight against the hold again, but his body jerks unnaturally still in pain. He cries out as the fingers worm their way in deeper, roughly scrapping his raw insides.

"Apologize for your words, then I'll stop, do you not understand?" He rips his fingers out, the insides tugging towards the exit with the force.

"Aaagh—kuuu...augh!" the mongrel moans in agony, writhing in the hold to get away. Iason thrusts the fingers back inside, purposely avoiding the pleasure spot of the boy.

"Apologize, Riki."

"Kuu...I...I'm sorry...!" he barely breathes, gasping as the finger stops moving inside him. He blinks to clear the tears from his eyes, not willing to show the man his pitiful tears.

"Good boy," Iason whispers, slowly pulling his fingers out, before gently rubbing his hand over the hurt areas. "Now what have you learned? Tell me properly and you'll get a reward."

Riki grits his teeth, turning his head to glare at the Prince. "That you're an asshole."

Iason roughly gropes his sore ass, squeezing it painfully hard, "Try again."

"Nngh! Stop it, you blonde freak!"

"Tell me what you've learned and I'll give you a reward," he repeats, his hand hovering over the boy's ass.

"That the Queen doesn't like to hear the truth," the mongrel hisses, squirming once again in the hold, "Now let go!"

The Prince almost sighs, "You are an obstinate mongrel. The only one left and you put up a fuss day and night."

"I'm not the only one left!"

"Yes, yes," the Prince soothingly rumbles, running his hand along the boy's back. Riki flinches under the touch, still trying to rip his arms free. "Here's your reward for your partially proper response." He sticks his fingertips inside the mongrel's mouth, thrusting them inside. "Make them wet."

"Mmmn!" Riki protests, biting down on the intruders. Iason withdraws his fingertips, a frown upon his perfect face.

"I was rewarding you," he coldly hisses to the mongrel, "And you refuse me so?" He pushes his barely wet fingers into Riki's hole, "You like punishment rather than reward, hm? So your talk about being disgusted by humiliation was just the prideful mongrel inside you barking?"

"Shut up!" he growls, twisting violently in Iason's arms. The blonde let's go of his hands, in a swift movement his head is against the rug and his ass sticking up in the air. "Let...go!"

The Prince holds onto his hips, sliding the mongrel's legs on either side of him. His one arm snakes around the boy's front, while he continues to play with the mongrel's hole with the other. He slides his fingers inside, stroking the sensitive spot over and over.

"Ah...!" Riki gasps, clawing into the carpet to gain momentum to get away. "No...ah...hnnn!"

"Just be still and accept your reward," the Prince rumbles, deftly stroking the inner spot of pleasure.

"Ahh..." the mongrel moans seductively, his hips starting to dip and rise unintentionally with each of the blonde's movements. "Ah...ah...Ahhh!"

Iason strokes the insides faster, refusing to touch the boy's oozing member. He wanted him to cum just from his fingers alone, to prove to the mongrel that he was a slave to him and the pleasure only he gave him.

"Ah...ahhh!" he gasps, the sweet sensation filling his bucking hips. He grips onto the rug as his penis twitches violently, spewing his white seed on the floor and on his stomach. He gasps for air, his face against the rough fabric of the rug.

Iason waits until the insides clenching down on his fingers lessen, before he pulls out the wet digits. "Did you enjoy your reward?" Riki shivers, before his eyes close and he remains silent to the question. A low chuckle escapes the Prince's lips, he runs his hand down the boy's back. "What a rare and fickle treasure I've picked up..."

—

"I'm. Not. Wearing. It!" Riki screams, throwing the clothes back at the servants. He crosses his arms and glares at the boy's who are trying to get him dressed.

Iason steps in, "Are you..." He studies the nude mongrel and sighs, "Riki...we've been through his. You have to wear that outfit."

"I'm not wearing it! I'm not a woman! I refuse to wear that!"

"Riki, if you don't wear it you're dead," he reminds, calmly strolling over to the growling mongrel.

"You...you can't really expect me to wear this..."

"You must."

"I...I won't...!"

Iason pins him up against the wall, "Why not? It will allow you to show of your strong figure."

"I'll practically be naked! This is basically under garments!"

"Are you ashamed of your body?" the Blonde asks, stroking the boy's chest. "You've forgotten, your body doesn't belong to you anymore. It belongs to me."

"Nn..." Riki flinches as the man slides his hand all the way down to his hips.

"If you being naked pleases me, it should please you," he reminds, grabbing onto his hips with his gloved hands. "And if you wearing that outfit pleases me, it should please you. Your Master is proud, so you should be proud."

"You're not my Master," the mongrel hisses, gripping onto the blonde's arms. "Now let go, dammit!"

"I will not," he dismisses, "Not until you accept the fact you are going to wear that outfit."

"I don't...want to!" Riki spits venomously, "Why can't I just wear normal clothes? Why does the Queen want me to wear that?"

"Those are slave clothes," he coldly explains, "And they were custom made for you, they are even a high quality material."

"I'm not a slave!"

Iason closes his eyes, "Do you not want to see your friends?"

"What?" he perks up, instantly listening to what the man says. Why would his friends be there?

"If you come with me, I might be able to track down a few of your friends in the coming days," the man explains, "If you can describe them I might be able to get information on where they last were by talking to people at the event."

"Y...you would do that?"

"If you swear to stay by my side forever, I will try to help your friends. But whether or not I am able to, you must swear," the blonde reasons.

Riki mulls over the idea silently for a moment, remembering his plan of what to do to ruin the Prince. "Fine...I swear."

"Say everything," Iason instructs, "Say exactly what you swear."

Riki snarls, "I swear I'll stay by your side forever even if you can't help my friends, dammit! What are you a child? Can we not just have an agreement as men?"

"I wanted you to know exactly what you were agreeing to."

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

—

"Come, Riki," he breathes, leading the boy along beside him with his polished chain leash.

Riki glances to each side, feeling the eyes on him. This was humiliating, to be wearing such clothes to an event such as this, why did he have to? He stares down at the skimpy outfit of a black top that ended after his breasts and black cloth covering his manhood and a bit of his prostration in shame.

"Keep your eyes blankly ahead, or on me," Iason whispers the warning, gently stroking the black hair. "And stay by my side."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it!" he snaps, almost hitting the hand away, but he holds back. "I'm not stupid. I won't do anything wrong."

"Of course you won't," Iason breathes, "I've taught you well, there is no way you'd do anything foolish."

Riki scowls at a harsh gaze of a passerby, "C...can we go?" he snaps, "I just wanna get this over with."

Iason chuckles softly, "Yes, let's go."

—

Riki stands quietly beside the Prince, eyes burn holes into him as myriad nobles stare and whisper at the sight of someone like him next to royalty. Iason tugs the chain gently, guiding his eyes filled with anger and discomfort back up to the blonde.

A man dressed in a very elegant crimson and gold puffy tunic outfit steps forward, "Your Highness," he bows low to Prince Iason.

The Prince nods, "Always good to see you, Sir Grant."

"And who might this be?" he inquires, his eyes narrowing in disgust on Riki. "Is this... boy...not a mongrel?"

"This is my personal slave," the Prince answers, "Yes, he is one of the scarce mongrels left." Whispers flood the room, all eyes pasted on the scene. Riki lowers his head, trying his hardest not to protest to all the stares of disgust and wonder.

"Your personal slave?" he confirms, raising an eyebrow to the nearly naked boy. "Was this not the young mongrel that was in the Slave Auction who had robbed so many?"

Riki freezes, panic sets in as he remembers the people he stole from in order to help him and his clan survive. There was still a chance that his actions of the past could come back to haunt him and be his downfall.

"Aye, it is," the Prince calmly answers, "Is there anything wrong with that, Sir Grant?" His blue eyes flicker past the man, silencing the crowd.

"Not at all, Your Highness," he swiftly denies, "It's just a bit peculiar to find something of such impurity next to such strong purity of yourself."

"Blood is of no concern to me," Iason notes, "I saw something I wanted and that's that. Do you have any further objections against me?" His eyes once again flicker to the crowd who all shy away. "Or are you finished?"

"Forgive me, Your Highness. I was not trying to put you in an uncomfortable position. I was just asking the question everyone seemed to want to know the answer to."

Iason's face hardens, his gaze falls down to Riki who silently looks up. "It is not I you are making uncomfortable," he hisses to Sir Grant. "Now away with you." He stares to the crowd, daring anyone else to question his decisions.

Riki stares away from the Prince to the crowd, everyone avoids the harsh blue gaze in guilt of talking bad about the Prince's decision and his new possession.

"Oh come now, enough of this!" Queen Jupiter suddenly speaks, coming out of nowhere. "We are here for enjoyment and celebration! So let us do just that!"

The Cooks step out of the kitchen area, all lining up and bowing. One steps foreword, "Your Majesty. Dinner has been prepared."

"Very good," Queen Jupiter nods, turning her gaze back to the crowd. "Now let us feast and dance until the evening is no more, my friends."

A chuckle runs through the crowd as she steps towards the room, leading the way for others to follow. "Keep your head up when you walk," the Prince whispers in the mongrel's ear before rising up, he gently tugs so Riki walks with him through the parted crowd.

Feeling all the stares burn into him, he falters slightly, but stands a little taller and holds his head high. He walks alongside Iason, dressed in his minimal clothing while his dark and toned body catches people's eyes with each step towards the Grand Banquet Hall.

—

Iason walks to the large fabric and polished wood throne on the right side of Her Majesty at the end of the table. He motions for Riki to wait and says something to the head servant. The mongrel confusedly stands there, fear spiking through him as he doesn't know what to do while the others flood gracefully into the room and sit while he and the Prince stand. He shifts uncomfortably, staring up at Iason to demand an explanation. Two servants rush over, one carries a large red and gold velvet cushion and the other large man carries a two foot tall polished stone pedestal over to Iason. They bow and set it before Riki in the spot to left of the Prince. Riki stares from the cushion to Iason, confirming that his eyes aren't playing tricks on him. The Prince motions for him to sit, while he turns to sit gracefully in the chair and have it pushed forward. Riki steps up and sits on the velvet cushion with his legs off to one side, he was tall enough with the height to see across the table.

Once everyone's settled, her majesty sits up straighter, raising her glass. "A toast, to celebrate the plentiful harvest which will strengthen our kingdom! And," she stares around the table and to the blondes, "To our unshakable domain which will prosper until the end of time!" Cheers rings out from the table, the chant of 'Long live the Queen' mix in with the cheerful cries of the wealthy.

Riki grits his teeth, looking down to hide the disgust clouding his eyes. They treated the Queen like she could do no wrong, yet it was her who made him have to attend this whole event while dressed almost nude. Not that he was ashamed of his body, it was just odd and a bit unnerving to be surrounded by frilly dressed women and fully elegantly clothed men while he was almost naked as the day he was born! It isolated and outcasts him further than he already was!

Golden food dishes are placed in front of the Queen, followed by the Princes. The lids are lifted off to reveal tender cuts of meat and cooked vegetables, along with other foods decorating the entirety of the plates. Riki inhales the scents, a wave of hunger and desire to consume the hearty food flashes through him.

Queen Jupiter casts a glare at Iason, "I'll be speaking to you later."

"Of course," he calmly answers, cutting off a piece of the meat and holding it on a fork for Riki, "Open."

Riki immediately parts his lips, leaning towards the fork to readily accept the warm meat. He glances up at Iason as he takes the meat carefully into his mouth.

"Good boy," he whispers so only the mongrel can hear. He cuts off another fraction of the meat, holding it gracefully up to the boy again.

"Iason, what are you doing?" the Queen hisses, watching her son create such a scene at the table. "You can feed him properly and let it fall down so he eats it on his own."

"Is that an order, Mother?"

"No..."

"Then I refuse," he answers simply, "I prefer this way." He holds the fork up to Riki's mouth again, pressing it gently to his lips.

"They're looking," Riki hisses lowly, his gaze flashing to the table of nobles pretending not to stare.

"Let them." He pushes the food into the boy's mouth, "Let them see how it is." Riki obediently accepts the food, he looks past the Prince's shoulder. Queen Jupiter stares scorching hot daggers through him, if looks could kill he'd be gone fifty times over already.

Riki shifts away after he's done swallowing, "You should eat, I can wait..." he whispers, still feeling the Queen's eyes piercing him.

"How kind," the Prince chuckles, "But you've forgotten that I'm in charge and I can do as I wish." He holds a small vegetable out on a fork, "Open, Riki."

—

After the meal, the announcement of the masquerade ball sends a renewed excitement and liveliness to the people. The crowd disperses, several stopping to talk to the Queen before they all hurry away to revamp their outfits for the dance. Once the room is nearly empty, the Queen stands, her eyes landing on Riki. "Why did you give him that?"

"To make him more comfortable, Mother," the Prince calmly answers, his hand tightening on the chair arm. "I figured it would be easier for me to feed him if he was raised higher."

"The point of bringing him was to break him, not pamper!" She glares profusely at her son for his clever disobedience. "Get him out of here, I will no longer tolerate him being in the same area as I am tonight."

"Are you going back on our agreement, Mother?"

"Iason, do not test my patience."

"I'm not trying to, I would just like to make it clear..." he explains, standing up, "That if he is no longer attending then neither am I."

She stares up at him, her eyes burning in anger that her plan isn't working. "He is to be seated on the ground, by your feet. And if he's walking his eyes better be on the ground." She turns away in a huff, leaving the two of them, the heavy door closes loudly behind her.

"She never did enjoy things going against her wishes," the Prince sighs. He looks down to Riki, "Come, we are going to return to my room briefly before we enter the ballroom.

—

Riki watches in silence as the Prince is transformed into another outfit in a matter of seconds. He reappears in a black tunic lined with gold trimming and frilly lace in a v-neck dipping to his chest. The sleeves of the tunic have long golden cuffs that have very fine lace designs sewn into the expensive fabric. The outfit becomes even more breathtaking a a servant slips a black cloak with gold lace trimming around the edges and a golden inside around the Prince's shoulders. He slips on his perfectly white gloves, reaching down to pick up and elegant black eye mask that covers half of his nose and the ends look like glossy raven feathers. He steps over to Riki, reclaiming the chain, "Are you ready?"

"I'm not the one dressing to impress," he hisses, staring from the Prince's get up to his lack of clothing.

"Here," the Prince calmly says, placing a smaller half eye mask on the boy's face that matches his own. He steps back to admire the whole get up. Riki gently touches the mask, feeling the lace under his fingertips. Iason slides his hand up to catch his, "Now no one can steal you from me."

—

'Bloody hell...' he growls internally, stopping by the Prince's side yet again as another masked, elegant and pompous couple stop by to pay their respects to the powerful man. Riki crosses his arms and sighs, he really wanted the evening to end and yet it was just beginning! He once again stares around the exquisite room, the wide staircase with a red rug covering it, the wooden carved balcony beams, the heavy metallic chandelier filled with countless flickering candles. A soft melody plays as the musicians entertain the crowd with their skill in music and produce the rhythm couples are dancing to. His eyes spot the curtains on the back of doors for the balcony, he wanted to go outside so badly and get away from everything. The tug on his chain takes him by surprise, sending him falling forward.

Iason swiftly catches the falling boy, "Are you all right?" he breathes, staring at the dark and distressed orbs.

"No," Riki hisses, pushing away from him, "I hate this. I wanna leave! You don't need me to follow you like a dog! All I do is stand here while you talk to people!"

"Shh," the Prince rumbles, trying to sooth his upset mongrel by gently touching his face. "Would you rather we sat down for awhile?" He turns his strong gaze to two large thrones at the side of the room. Riki nods, he just didn't want to have to walk through the crowd anymore. The stares of disgust were beginning to piss him off too much, he might explode if he didn't get out of the bustling nobility. Iason sits down in a throne, motioning for Riki to sit on the red carpet area by his feet. Riki lowers himself and sits down so he's staring out at the crowd, he spies the Queen laughing and talking while surrounded by a group of people as she makes her way across the room—servants hurry behind as they carry the short train of her bright red dress. The mongrel flinches as he feels the Prince's fingers run through his hair, immediately the dark eyes behind the mask stare up at him. "Be at ease, you're doing nothing wrong. Just let me entertain myself."

Queen Jupiter finally approaches them, she makes her way over to the bigger throne and sits herself down gracefully to sit and watch the event for awhile. Iason nods to acknowledge her return, still running his fingers in Riki's hair. With the snap of her fingers, servants bring her a gold plated cup with a strong fragrance liquid inside. "Are you enjoying this, my Son?" she asks, accepting the drink.

"Very much so," he politely answers, "It's always good to see our friends and acquaintances."

"Have you danced with anyone yet?"

"No."

"Why don't you try dancing with some of the ladies requesting your hand in marriage?" she suggests, sipping her drink.

"Mother, I cannot leave my slave."

"I'll deal with him," she quickly answers, snapping her fingers, instantly a servant steps forward and bows, "Take him to the balcony and guard the doors." Two guards emerge from a side room, ready to grab hold of the mongrel and lead him away.

"Mother—"

"No protesting, or else I will get rid of him," she hisses, motioning for the guards to take the mongrel out of her sight with the wave of her elegant hand.

Riki stares up at Iason in fear, the guards tugging his chain attached to his collar and roughly pulling him away. "Riki—" he calls, but a group of noble women swiftly take their chances and step forward, crowding the Prince as they all ask to dance with him.

"Let go!" Riki growls lowly, trying to get away and back to the safety he had become reliant on. A sharp hit on the back of his head silences him as he's dragged away, the last thing he sees is the Prince accepting a women's hand as a new song starts. "Oof!" He hits the cold balcony floor as the guards toss him out, a thud sounding from the impact along with the clinking of the chain links. He tries to stand up, but his head pulsates wildly at the fast action, sending his ass back to the cold floor.

"Stay out here and don't even think of howling, wild dog," a guard grumbles, slamming the doors shut so he can't get back in.

After a few attempts, he pry himself up from the floor, stumbling towards the wooden doors that shine light and silhouettes through the white curtains. "Hey, lemme back in! Hey!" he yells, but the sounds of everyone inside and the music drown him out. A shiver runs through his body, the crisp night air engulfing his poorly clothed body. How long would he last out here? "Shit!" he growls, tossing the mask over the edge before curling up into a ball by the door like a cat locked outside, waiting for their master to come and save them. He exhales while running his hands up his arms, trying to warm them with friction while listening to the sound of the song change to another one, meaning a new slow dance would start. How many women would that blonde bastard have to dance with?

A minute later, the door opens and a guard reappears, "Here," he grumbles, chucking something large at him. "Prince requested you have this, disgusting beast."

Riki catches the large elegant black cloak, feeling the warmth from the man's body it had been on just a moment ago. He swiftly wraps the heavy fabric around him, trying to conserve the heat. "Bastard..." he growls gently, snuggling deeper into the large protective blanket.

—

The song ends, freeing him from the last women who has asked for a dance with him. He politely thanks the women, bowing slightly before pulling away. Wasting no time, he hurries over to the direction of the balcony.

"Iason!" Queen Jupiter calls, "Come here, Sir Fredrick would like to speak with you."

Iason internally sighs, but outs on is best smile and attitude to deal with the man who might possibly have information about the Mongrel Hunters and Riki's friends. "Good to see you..."

—

Riki sneezes, his body struggling to warm up as a light breeze flutters through the trees revealed by the bright moonlight. "Shit, shit, shit..." he snarls, trying to bury himself further into the heavy cloak. "Hurry up you bastard!"

—  
After talking to the almost endless people who approached him, he finally steps away. He hurries his steps in the direction of the balcony to bring his mongrel back to him. Many couples start to leave after bidding farewell to the Queen, he stops to say goodnight to a few who pass by. "Move," he coldly orders to the guards, they immediately part, allowing him to open the doors. He hands them his mask, which is no longer of any use to him now. "Riki!" he calls gently peering to the edge of the balcony, but not finding the boy. "Riki...!" He strides forward towards the balcony edge. 'Don't tell me he...!'

"So damn late! You bastard!" an angry voice howls from behind him. He turns on his heal to see Riki by the door, curled up in a ball with his cloak.

"Riki," he breathes, striding over and picking him up like a princess. "You're frozen..."

"No shit!" Riki snarls, pushing away, "Let go! I hate you! You left me out here to freeze!"

"Riki, I couldn't do anything else," the blonde explains, trying to press him against his body for warmth. In a blur, he pulls the cloak around his own shoulder so there is nothing between them besides the chain draping from the collar.

"I hate you! I hate this! I hate—" Iason silences him with a kiss, running his gloved hand through the boy's hair to gently sooth the fussing mongrel. Riki tries to push away, but soon his tired and cold body gives up, letting his hand fall against the blonde's chest. "Mmm..." he mumbles, his body gaining a new kind of heat as the Prince slides his tongue skillfully along his erogenous areas.

Iason pulls back, ensuring the mongrel is covered by the cloak. "Are you warming up?"

"Let go, you reek of perfume!" Riki hisses, trying to push away. "How many women did you dance with to get such a disgusting fragrance on you?"

The Prince chuckles, kissing the boy's forehead while taking the chain off and throwing it aside, "Too many. During every dance I kept glancing at the balcony doors, hoping you were warm enough..."

Riki stills, "Really?"

"It's true," he whispers, gently taking the boy's hand and kissing the top. "So, Riki," he rumbles, "May I have this dance?"

—

"T...This won't work...!" Riki protests, not following the rhythm and moves correctly. "Can we just go inside now?"

"Just hold my hand, I'll guide you," the blonde assures, gently taking the mongrel's hand. "Just follow my steps." He steps forward, guiding Riki to step backwards twice. He then steps sideways.

"I can't do this! I don't dance," Riki protests, trying to get away from the cloak wrapping them together.

Iason chuckles, "Here," He lifts Riki up and holds him so his legs are on either side of him and their bodies are pressed together. "We'll dance like this." He continues doing the dance steps.

"This...this isn't dancing!" Riki growls, pushing back to stare at the blonde, "You're just holding me against you while you dance!"

Iason leans in and kisses the boy, "Let me actually enjoy one dance this evening." He gently guides Riki's head to his shoulder, while still doing the steps in rhythm to the song from inside. Riki huffs, but gives in. The blonde's body warmth radiates through his skin, warming his body with heat that relaxes him along with the gently swaying movement of the dancing. He buries his face into the warm nape of the blonde's neck, while the Prince pulls up the cloak to cover his head.

"Bastard..." Riki gently whispers. He listens to the Prince chuckle, before a kiss lands on his right temple as the swaying lulls him to sleep.

—

He steps back into the ballroom, still carrying his mongrel that is wrapped in his cloak. Queen Jupiter spots him, immediately glaring daggers of disapproval at the disgusting sight.

"I'm retiring for the evening, Mother," he calmly calls out, swiftly heading towards the doors leading back through the castle to his room.

"Your Highness, you forgot the chain!" a guard calls out, hurrying after the Prince with Riki's leash.

"Get rid of it, it's not necessary," the Prince answers nodding to the servants to open the doors. He strides through, lowering his head slightly to kiss the mongrel's cheek under the cloak. "You've proven that you belong by my side." Riki frowns in his sleep, trying to move away from the disturbance. Iason gently kisses the mongrel again while grinning, "Good boy."


	9. Capture Them Alive

"All right men, we have new orders to find the mongrel clan, but to not kill them on sight," the leader commands, staring out to his followers. "For everyone we bring in we get a higher price."

"How do you propose we talk them down, Captain?" All the eyes burn holes into the long dark brown, curly haired leader standing next to his black stallion.

"They are migrating closer to the borderlands, so I propose we beat them to the West borders." He hops up, swinging his leg over his horse. His black cloak flutters through the air, the edges landing perfectly on the horses rump. "This might take several days, so prepare the rations. We must beat them or else they can split up and scatter into the Badlands."

"How do you know we'll beat them, Captain?"

"We have an advantage," he reminds, patting the horses shoulder. "We have speed and knowledge that they lack. Prepare the rations, I'm going to mark out the starting route."

"Aye, Captain!"

—

"So our agreement was successful, was it not Mother?"

"Indeed it was," she sighs.

"And are you going to stop trying to make him disobedient?" he asks, irritated by all the stunts that she pulled. "I am his Master. He has proven that he listens to me."

"Yes, yes," she answers, "I'm done with my attempts. I just hope you realize what a fool people are going to think you are for keeping that."

"If me keeping an almost extinct species makes me a fool, then so be it." He stares up at his Mother, "I just want you to know that I can do as I please with him now, our agreement has permitted me to do so and has now prohibited you from interfering. I can tame my own slave, I do not need your help."

"My, my, my," she chuckles coldly, "Spoken like a cold hearted future King who will rule over the people. My Son, you've grown up nicely. You will definitely lead the monarch and kingdom in the right direction when your time comes."

"Please do not speak as if you are planning on passing away, Mother."

"I'm merely saying that I am proud to have you as a son," she defends, "I will refrain from trying to stop you now. You have proven yourself to be capable. I have wrongfully doubted you, my Son."

—

"Piss off!" Riki hisses to the servants, throwing the undergarments outfit at them. "I'm not going anywhere until I see that there are actual clothes for me to wear!"

"Master hasn't given us any other clothing to use for the day," the smaller boy explains. "This is what he left for you and he requested you bathe in his absence if you awoke."

"I'm not going in until I see normal fucking clothes!"

Jak appears from another doorway, "Oh...am I intruding?" He peers to the other servants, they silently plead for help. "Uhm...Master Riki, what's the problem?"

"I'm not taking a bath until there is actual clothing laid out for me to wear," he hisses, crossing his arms. "I'm not dressing in that outfit again."

"Oh..." Jak looks to the other servants, "Well why don't you lay out his other clothes?"

"Master hasn't given us any others for him to wear," the one answers softly.

"Ah," he sounds, "Well, I'll take the blame. So give him his usual clothing."

"You're going to give him the clothing against Master's wishes?" Daryl asks, stepping forward. "I think you're forgetting that I'm the head servant. You are ranked second. You don't have the power to make those decisions."

"I'm simply trying to resolve a conflict, Daryl," Jak calmly answers, raising his hands palm up.

"Master Riki must take a bath, and wear whatever Master Iason chooses."

"Yes, Daryl, I'm aware." Jak turns to Riki, "I tried, sorry. Can you please just go take a bath?"

The mongrel gnashes his teeth, "Not until you give me clothing. I am not wearing those clothes again."

Jak sighs, "This isn't going to work..."

—

"Have you found anything?" he inquires, stepping into the redhead's office. The natural light filled library area is empty, earning a frown on the perfect face. The Prince steps forward, heading towards the bookshelf. He knocks on the wooden panel, waiting for the hidden entrance to be revealed.

Katze appears, the wooden panel sliding out of the way. "Your Highness," he calmly addresses, bowing to the Prince. He hands him the written out documents, "There is not much I have been able to dig up so far."

Iason takes the pages, flipping through them as he scans the few papers. "There is no background information at all?"

Katze calmly nods, "However, that is subject to change. I have a new lead."

The blue eyes scan the page with details about who Riki associated with. "What is this part?"

The redhead peeks at the page, "That would be the list and description of his friends and clan members."

"Send out a reward for their captures immediately," he orders, plotting his plan carefully in his brain, "I want as many alive as possible."

—

The dark long haired mongrel runs faster, the forest area thinning around him. There wasn't anything left past the thicket! He would be caught easily in the Badlands. They would chase after him by horse and then get him. Why hadn't they killed him? They hadn't killed any of them on sight, what was going on?

"Riki...!" he wheezes, reaching the clearing. If he could just make it to the other section of the thicket, he could hide in the hollow tree that he had used on several occasions. The sound of hoofs beating against the ground get closer, fear constricts the boy's chest. If he didn't make it...if he didn't...

—

"Why am I not allowed to wear clothes besides these?" Riki demands, stomping towards the Prince.

An amused grin slips onto his face, "You looked so alluring in that outfit, I thought I'd keep you in it longer."

"Fuck you!" the mongrel snarls, "I did that so the Queen would let me stay and you could find my friends and protect them!"

"The way you're acting now, I don't think you deserve to have any of them in my care."

"You...!" He grits his teeth and goes to take a swing at the Prince, but his arm is caught. Immediately he is on the floor, gasping from the horrendous hit against his chest.

"I think you still don't know your position, slave."

—

"Gguuh!" he moans, burying his face into the floor. Iason continues to assault his hole, thrusting his dry fingers roughly inside. He continues to push and pull them in and out with terrible speed and force. "S—stop! Uuugh...!"

"What was that, slave?" he growls, not stopping the motion. He slides one hand up the boy's chest, pinching the pink nipples. "You dare to ask me to stop?"

"I...!" He flinches as the fingers yank out and a hard squeeze surrounds his penis in unison with his nipple, "Guh..."

"You enjoy this?" the Prince mocks, pumping the boy's hard penis. "Your body is soaking up all the sensations of me doing this to you. You're enjoying this."

"N—no!" he denies, "I'd never...!" Iason roughly throws him forward. "Oof!"

"I don't have time for you right now, I was going to offer you an option to come and sit with me in my office, but I've changed my mind," the Prince growls. He orders to the servants standing in the corner, "Lock him up in the room. Nobody feed, talk or even dare come check on him. I want him completely isolated."

—

"Son of a bitch!" Riki snarls, slamming his hands against the doors. The Prince had left him nude and he was still partially aroused, which pissed him off more. How could he get off on something like that? "Fuck, fuck, fuck!" He hits a few books off a table, sending them flying. They hit the floor with a thud, sparking something within him. He pushes an elegant wooden side table over, listening to the sound of the contents in the drawer clink and rattle.

This was insane, but he was enjoying this. He wanted to ruin the Prince for ruining him so much already. He rips the blankets from the bed, throwing them as hard as he can. They land only a few feet away because of their weight. The mongrel hops onto the bed, kicking wildly in attempt to break the bed posts. In the attempt, he hurts his foot, causing him to fall back into the bed while cursing loudly.

He just wanted freedom, he couldn't go along with this anymore. He just wanted to be back with his friends and continue his way of living.

Tears of frustration well up, but he bites them back and rips a painting from the wall. Watching it fall on the floor with a loud thud, it looked really expensive. He kicks the frame, hoping to smash it, but he barely dents anything.

Irritation and frustration dominate him, why wouldn't anything break? Why couldn't he break anything? Why was he the only breakable thing in the room? He kicks over a wooden and red cushioned chair, before plunking down on the rug while he holds himself together.

He wouldn't break. He couldn't. He'd never show the Prince the true feelings within him. He would cover up his fears with his bravado. And never, ever would be open up to that bastard again.

—

"Until next time," the man bows, before leaving the room.

The Prince leans back in his chair, his fingers pressing against his forehead. His mind drifts back to his mongrel, the feeling of his skin, the heat of his insides, the sounds of his moans, the screams...

A knock sounds on his door, causing him to look up, "Come."

One of his servants steps forward, "M-Ma...Master?" he sputters fearfully.

The eyes glaze over icily, "What is it? Why have you left the room to come find me?" the Prince frigidly implores.

The boy gulps, "Your slave, Master."

His eyes flicker with concern slightly, "What about him?"

—

Riki crawls over to a small cabinet he tipped over, he swears he heard the sound of glass clinking. He opens the door with a grunt, surprised to find a few crystal bottles of booze. "Prince's secret stash, huh?" He reaches out towards the biggest bottle, uncorking it and taking a whiff of the contents. A pungent smell of some alcohol fills the area around him, this shit was strong! Bringing the bottle to his lips, he takes in some of the liquid. It burns his throat and insides, causing him to choke while inhaling the fumes. What was this potent shit? He coughs for another moment, before smacking his lips together softly as he digests the aftertaste. It had almost a creamy sort of left over taste, and it was extremely good! He raises the bottle to his lips again, suffering through the burning to reach that specific aftertaste.

Fuck the Prince, he deserved everything! He ruined the mongrel's life, his plans, his happiness-even if it was small to begin with. Why should he willingly give up for that man? Sure, the Prince was very nice eye candy, but he didn't want to be caged and controlled by someone!

If only he hadn't been caught while he was stealing, then none of this would've happened! He brings the bottle to his lips again, his mind filled with the mental image of one person. "Guy..." he chokes, the alcohol flooding and burning his insides. It wouldn't have mattered if he'd been caught, it was already to late the moment he wandered away. So easily he left the clan, lying and saying it was to go get rations. He really wanted to go see what else was out there, if there was something more he could obtain or if death was all that was left. He had grown tired of his life, he wanted something different. However, he didn't plan on being captured for his theft. And when the Prince took him, for once it was as if he was given the twist of life he had been craving.

But this was enough, he couldn't stay anymore or else he really would be the last mongrel alive.

The door slams open, revealing an angry Prince who's eyes scan the room. "You..." the man growls, his furious blue eyes meeting the dark ones.

Riki hiccups, staring at the Prince through his intoxicated haze. His mind slips away from all of his thoughts, just focusing on the man. This man had captured him and been so cruel, he hated it. However, he had also grown to want to stay with him because of how different his life had become. Then again, he didn't have a choice.

The bottle's ripped from his hands, his mind not comprehending anything as he meets the floor painfully. He blankly stares up at the Prince, too numbed to be bothered by the pain. The gloved hands yank him up, dragging him across the messy room before throwing him on the stripped bed. A laugh bubbles up inside his throat as the Prince begins scolding him angrily, but he can't make out the words.

His whole world had slowed down, almost to the point of being painfully slow. Each word coming from the man's lips or each hit he took to the face seemed to take its own sweet time. His heart seemed to want to beat right out of his chest, that was the only pain he could really feel. Even as the Prince shoves his finger's inside his mouth and into his throat, he barely feels the contact. Was he dying? What was going on? Was this it for him?

—

"Riki!" the Prince yells, his eyes grazing over his shoulder to the bottle again. "You fool!" He thrusts his fingers deep inside the struggling boy's mouth, "Spit it up!" The mongrel throws up the liquid, leaking all over the Prince's fingers, himself and the bed. A broken chuckle vibrates out of the boy's throat, before more bile rises up. The mongrel hits and thrashes at the Prince, trying to get the fingers away from him. He grabs onto the boy's squirming head, grasping onto it, while trying to shove his fingers back inside. "Hold still...damn you!" he growls, still fighting against the boy. He sits back, landing a hit across the mongrel's face with so much force a bone fractures upon impact.

Riki stills, staring up at the blonde as his brain tries to reconnect. He still has no idea what's going on, but his eyes fill with tears from the blow.

"Damn you...!" Iason growls, sticking his fingers inside one more time to force up as much liquid as he can from the mongrel's stomach.

"Kuu..." he chokes while crying, throwing up more liquid as the Prince pulls his fingers out.

Iason grabs a wet cloth from the servant who has silently slipped to the bedside. He wipes the crying mongrel's face and bare chest body, a bittersweet emotion filling him as he was somehow pleased by the sound of the crying, yet it also bothers him. "It's OK," he breathes soothingly, pulling the mongrel up into his arms. He turns to Daryl, "Get Prince Raoul, now." The mongrel continues to cry as he's lost in the delirium, Iason just holds him to his chest. He turns around while the boy's in his arms, scowling as he sees the damage done to his room. "If you weren't almost dying already, I'd be beating you within an inch of your life."

Riki moans loudly, his body starting to shake. Iason's eyes widen in horror as he lays the mongrel down, watching him carefully. The boy's eyes start to roll back and an unknown liquid starts secreting from his mouth; the blonde's heart constricts with fear. "RAOUL!" he bellows loudly.

—

Riki opens his eyes a sliver, staring around the darkened room. 'So I'm dead, huh?' He coughs weakly, his chest throbbing at the action. 'Still have pain, so I must be in hell...'

"Riki!" a dark figure breathes, approaching him and caressing his face.

He exhales shakily, the dark figure had blue eyes and beautiful hair. He reaches out, barely grabbing onto the form, "God..." he whispers, a tear falling from his eyes as several fillings overtake him. He slips back into unconsciousness, his body going limp.

"Riki...!" Iason calls, panic once again clutching his chest at the thought of losing his mongrel.

"He's still alive," Prince Raoul interrupts, pressing his gloved fingers to the boy's neck. "He's just asleep again."

"When will he wake up?"

"Whenever his body decides it's time," the green eyed Prince answers, walking away.

—

"Haaa...haaa...!" he pants, his eyes snapping open to the darkness again. His body drips with sweat, as if he's over top of a fire. "God...forgive me...!" he pleads.

Iason gently caresses the boy's face, "You're not dead, slave. You're safe."

"G...God..." he chokes, trying to reach up to him again.

"Riki, relax, you're not dead..."

A cool cloth meets his burning forehead, soothing the flames that feel like they could cook his brain. "For...give me..."

—

Iason taps his finger against his desk in irritation, reading over the documents. His mongrel had drifted in and out of consciousness for days already, and now was completely out to town because of a fever. He sighs, leaning back in his chair. Never had anyone caused him so much trouble... and he still had to punish the boy when he was better. Anger flashes through him as he remembers the damage done to his room, the brat would pay dearly for it!

He glances back down at the documents, sliding one to the side to reveal the description list of the mongrel clan. Yes, he'd use them now as his means of keeping the mongrel obediently with him.

—

He opens his eyes, the wave of disorientation ceasing and his body reconnecting to his mind. His eyes wander around and he realizes he's back in the Prince's room, and his collar is attached by a taut chain to a bed post.

"Are you awake?" the Prince asks, shifting into his focus as he sits on a chair at the end of the room.

Riki frowns, his eyes landing on a heap of fabric in front of the Prince. "What's...?"

"Oh, this?" the Prince gestures to the bag. "I thought since you're obedience is lacking you'd maybe rethink your actions if you had an audience." He rises up, moving towards the worried mongrel. In a swift motion, he unhooks the chain, pulling Riki roughly down to the floor. His nude body aches as he gets a bit of rug burn from the fabric. "I think you'll be more willing to be obedient..." A servant opens the bag, making Riki's eyes go wide with horror, "Especially if your friend's are at stake."

"Guy..." Riki breathes in terror, his eyes freezing on the long dark haired mongrel who's gagged. The blue eyes widen in recognition of the fellow mongrel, and they stare at each other in silence.

"Make some noise for him," the blonde orders, "If you don't..." He leans to Riki's ear and rumbles, "I'll kill him."


	10. The Execution Lesson

"Guy!" Riki shouts, trying to get to across the bed and to his friend. Iason harshly yanks the chain connected to the leather collar around the boy's neck, sending him forward and into a coughing fit. He grips onto the leather, wedging his fingers between to free his throat from the suffocation.

"Take him over there," the Prince commands, his eyes flickering from Guy to a spot out of his way. "How obedient will you be now that he's here?" He tugs the boy upwards by his hair, watching the tanned face contort to pain before hauling him to the spot he was punished by being spread and whipped.

"Let go!" the mongrel shrieks, trying to fight him off by swinging his arms at the perfect face. A solid impact to his own face instead sends him collapsing to the floor, his arms are swiftly cinched in the familiar cuffs and pulled above his head. "S...stop..." he chokes, distress swelling up inside of him as his friend is watching this happen.

"We've only begun, and you want me to stop?" the Prince chuckles, brushing his face with his gloved hand. "Spread his legs," he orders to the servants, turning to head over to the other mongrel who is tied up. "And you, I've got something for you as well." He motions to the other servants, "Strip him. And then put him in the holder, he's not going to look away."

"Pl...please...don't do this!" Riki begs, his dark eyes clouded with fear, embarrassment and fury.

Two servants cut off Guy's clothes, while another one brings in a metal collar that has ten long spikes on the inside. They force him down in front of Riki, sitting him up straight on his knees, and pulling up his head. The servant fastens the device around Guy's neck, ensuring the tips are just grazing the skin, before latching it shut. He grabs the long rod connecting to it like a leash, firmly resting it into a holder so that if Guy tries to lower or move his head, he'll be stabbed and bleed out as his neck is punctured.

"Ah...your eyes," the Prince rumbles, the dark orbs sparking a heat inside of him as he runs his thumb along the skin, "They were so full of anger and hate, and now they are glistening so sweetly." Is this what it was like to get pleasure from being in control?

"Fuck you..." Riki snarls softly, biting his lips as he stares at Guy.

"We are almost ready, but there is one more thing," the Prince remembers, picking up a silver ring that has several small metal pyramids on the inside. They weren't sharp enough to rip the flesh, but they would provide extreme discomfort and pain. He unfastens it, sliding it around Riki's flaccid penis and then closing it so its loose for the moment. "This will ensure you don't cum, but it would be in your best interest to not get hard." He stands back to admire the set up, grabbing a whip that's handed to him, "Shall we begin then?"

"Ah!" Riki screams in shock as he jolts against the holds, the gloved hand meeting his buttocks with a hard slap. "Uugh..."

"I was only seeing if you were awake," the Prince taunts, slapping Riki's ass again, but with the whip rod this time. He walks over to the front of the mongrel, tracing his fingers around the boy's nipples. "Are you going to be obedient from now on?" Riki shivers as his sensitive nipples receive stimulation. "Yes, moan louder..."

"Mmmmn," he sounds, biting his lips to prevent himself from being any louder. How could he enjoy any kind of touch from this cruel bastard? And Guy was right there too!

"That won't do," the Prince rumbles, stroking the boy's lips with his thumb. "You need to be louder." He gropes the boy's ass, ruthlessly shoving his fingers inside.

"Aah!" Riki gasps, jolting in agony from the dry and rough penetration. He bites back tears, letting his head hang in shame as he catches the blue eyes watching him past the blonde's body.

Iason slithers back behind him, gripping his head in one hand, while continuing the assault. "Look at him," he orders, holding the boy's head up with his other hand and forcing Riki to stare at Guy as he's molested.

"Gah! A..ahh!"

Guy watches helplessly, his head still coerced to be up by the collar. He glowers sharply at Iason, before his blue eyes turn gentle as he meets Riki's gaze. He wants to desperately comfort Riki, but the rag around his mouth doesn't let him form words. There is nothing else he can offer, for if he tries to struggle against the bindings his neck will be riddled with holes.

"G...Guy..." he chokes, determined to replace his embarrassment and shame with anger. He grits his teeth, a new wave of fury flooding over him as he demands his mind to fight back and save his pride. "You bastard!" he growls, turning his face to see the blonde in the corner of his dark eyes.

"Look, he's enjoying this," the Prince scoffs, noticing that the mongrel on the floor is getting hard at the sound of his name being called so feverishly. "I guess that's what one would expect...when they see their partner in such a hot state."

Riki flinches, how the fuck did he know what he and Guy were a pair?

"Did you think I didn't know?" Iason laughs, "I have informants who can dig deep beneath the surface. It's not hard for me to find what I want to know."

Riki grounds his teeth, averting his eyes away from Guy completely to avoid losing his anger due to the frustration of being so damn helpless at the hands of the Prince. It was terribly cruel and embarrassing to be seen like this in front of Guy, after all they had been through.

"That expression," Iason breathes, touching the boy's face. "Are you embarrassed to be seen by your mating partner like this?"

Something inside Riki shatters, he bares his teeth and glares at Iason, "Hurry up and do it, you fucker! Stop playing around and do it!"

Slightly taken aback by the mongrel's outburst, a grin twitches on the Prince's lips. "Are you giving me permission to have my way with you in front of your mate?"

"You're just gonna do it anyways! So get on with it!"

A bittersweet feeling courses through him, it wasn't as good when the mongrel was willing. He realizes that he preferred the mongrel when he was all bark, but no bite—not rolling over in defeat. "A brave suggestion," he coldly points out, picking up his whip. "I think I'll try this first." He raises it high, landing a harsh strike against Guy's chest.

"Hmm!" the mongrel recoils and screams, the spikes jutting into his tensed neck muscles and drawing blood as he accidentally moves.

"Guy!" Riki screams in horror, his bravado breaking as Iason raises the whip again. "Wait! Wait!"

The Prince stops, turning back to look at the pleading mongrel. "What's the matter?" he calmly asks, a feeling of triumph spilling through him as he knows he's won the right to continue the punishment through the boy's guilt rather than false courage.

"Please...don't hurt him..." he chokes, not wanting Guy to experience the same fate as him. "He doesn't have anything to do with this...so please..."

A slight feeling of arousal and excitement at being in such control over the boy fills him. He lowers the whip, "Look at you, sacrificing yourself for your partner. How very bold of you indeed." In two steps, he's grabbing onto the boy's chin. "I wonder how many lashes I should give you for destroying my room during your temper tantrum?"

Riki bites his tongue, swallowing back the urge to scream out something more that will fuel the Prince's anger.

"Let's settle for twenty," he decides, analyzing the mongrel's expression. "And let's use the other whip."

Riki cringes, fear creeping over him at the realization that the other whip had several small pieces of animal bones, teeth and claws woven into the fibers. It hurt more than the average whip.

"Your front needs some attention too, I see," the Prince calmly whispers. He slides his hand down, grabbing the boy's ever so slightly hard penis. Upon the contact, the mongrel jolts, terror consuming him as he has no idea what to expect. "This is going to hurt," the Prince reveals and warns, sliding his hand up and down the boy's penis, causing him to receive stimulation before the discomfort.

"Aagh!" Riki cries out, his sensitive organ being squeezed under the dull points from the inside of and overall tightness of the ring. He writhes against the holds, his body tensing from the pain as it tries to numb or adjust.

Iason slides his hand down the boy's chest, then his right side as he heads to the boy's posterior. "Now, what are you receiving twenty lashes for?" he asks, running his gloved hand down the boy's back and causing him to shiver.

Riki grits his teeth, answering would be submitting to punishment. He wasn't willing submitting, he was being coerced into submission.

"Tell me," Iason demands, "Or else I'll give your mate the twenty lashes."

"I destroyed your room!" he snarls, "Because you're a fucking unreasonable asshole!" A hand snakes around, pumping his penis and tugging upwards on the ring, "Ack...aagh!"

"You are correct about what you did," the Prince calmly agrees, still attacking the boy's front. "But from now on I expect you to admit your faults properly."

"Guh...hnnn!" Riki gasps, his tense body trembling in a sick mixture of pain and pleasure. He smashes his teeth together, his neck muscles bulging against his skin. 'Close your eyes, Guy...' he pleads internally, willing his friend to simply close his eyes so he's free from the scene. "A...ahh!" He jolts, the feeling of a gloved fingertip teasing his slit fills his hips with a pleasure so strong that breath evaporates from his lungs. His hips buck forward as his penis pulsates in preparation for ejaculation, but it doesn't happen.

"Fool, did you think I'd let you cum for punishment?"

Those words rattle through his skull, the warning coming too late. The whip lashes against his back, causing him to choke on his breath. His lips trembling, but no words escape as the Prince delivers several more lashes to his back, forming a row of five going diagonally.

"How does that feel, slave?" he breathes bitterly, running his gloved hand along the wounds. He had ensured they were not incredibly deep, but painful nonetheless. "By the time I'm done, you won't be able to move for three days."

"Immi!" Guy cries through the fabric, watching with dread as Riki drops slightly from the first five strokes. 'Please, I'll take it punishment, please!' He tries maneuver the rag with his mouth and tongue so he can speak.

"Does it hurt you? To see your partner punished in front of you?" the Prince taunts, looking down at the furious mongrel. He raises the whip, strategically planning out his next path of strokes, while looking Guy directly in the eyes. "He belongs to me now."

—

"Hnn..." Riki moans, the feel of the blonde's fingers inside him causing his insides to clench.

"So lustful in front of your mate," Iason taunts, "It must be agony to not be granted release." He strokes the inner pleasure spot, "If you beg me, I'll let you cum."

"Ku..." the mongrel groans, his hips once again swaying around seductively. "Oh..." His body shivers as the Prince runs his finger rapidly over the spot, only to freeze at the sound.

"That was quite the prurient moan, slave," the blonde comments, letting his fingers tease that area only to get a similar reaction. His eyes glance over to the mongrel on the floor, an unimaginable and blistering jealously towards the mate sparks within him. He didn't deserve to hear the mongrel's cries anymore, Riki belonged to him now! He didn't want anyone else to hear the boy's moans, they should be for his ears only!

"Ahh!" Riki gasps, the fingers ripping out of him and leaving his body regretfully empty. His insides squeeze rapidly, protesting to the sudden lack of stimulation inside of him.

Iason grabs the whip laying on the floor, in a blur he strides over and begins lashing wildly at Guy to paint his chest with red streaks in his rage of jealousy.

"No!" Riki chokes, watching in a petrified state as his friend is reduced to a bloody mess. "S—stop it! I'm the one who's disobedient, not him! Stop!"

The Prince doesn't let up, continuing to strike across the mongrel's skin. "He. Doesn't. Belong. To you. Anymore!" he bellows, finally lashing a deep gouge into Guy's chest.

"Guy!" Riki screams, watching as the mongrel goes limp. "Guy, Guy! Guy!"

Iason steps back, turning to face the crying mongrel. He lands a lash on Riki's cheek, "Why weep when he can't hear you?"

"You bastard!" he snarls, tears spilling out of his dark orbs.

Iason roughly grabs onto his chin, "He is no longer a person in your life. You belong to me only. Don't you forget that, Riki."

"I belong to no one!"

"You are mine, Riki." He grabs the boy's head in between his hands, "Get it through your head now or you'll suffer more."

"Never!"

Iason grits his teeth, letting go of his control in hopes of teaching the mongrel. More whip marks spill onto the tanned body while the boy's screams echo off the walls. "You just don't learn, you fool!" The last lash sends an earsplitting scream of agony reverberating from the mongrel's mouth, his body finally succumbing to the pain.

—

"Uuugh..." Riki moans, finally regaining consciousness. What happened? His mind rewinds to the events before his darkness, sending a wave of panic, humiliation and anger coursing through his veins. "Guy!" He looks all around, but doesn't see him in the darkened room.

Did the Prince kill him off? Had he lost his chance to say goodbye to his friend? His scared eyes wander to the spot Guy was, spotting splatters of blood on the ground his body shakes from tears of frustration and sadness. He should have never gotten his friends involved, he had thought he would be protecting them from more pain but he had done the opposite.

"Fuck..." he sobs, the chains rattling and clinking from his frame quivering. The emotional blow of everything hit his chest hard, squeezing his upper body like pythons trying to wring him to death. 'I'm so sorry Guy...I'm so sorry...!'

A wave of nausea strikes him as he imagines Guy's fate. The Prince could've chopped his head off, skinned him alive, boiled him alive! He retches violently, the mental imaginings of the fate of his friend becoming to much. He chokes as he can't catch his breath from the panic taking over him, causing him to heave and retch more.

It was all his fault, all because he had been too stubborn to obey. If only he'd just...

No, he couldn't obey.

But if he had Guy would still be alive! And he could've gotten his revenge on the Prince and saved his clan from having to die painful deaths.

But that would mean that he had to submit to the Prince, and his pride wouldn't allow it. He knew that it was nearly impossible to ever submit to anyone. He was one of the remaining mongrels in the world, and he had been the leader of the clan, he bowed to no one! Why had he ever for a second considered living anything outside of his norm?

He droops helplessly against the restraints, his legs bending painfully as they are still spread open as his body gives out again. Whatever had happened to him before he passed out had left his body aching, his pride marred and his anger fueled. He couldn't let this get to him, he had to fight back. For Guy and all of his friends who were probably now all murdered at the hands of that bastard or the bitch Queen. And yet, part of him still left immense shame and hurt as the blow that he had just endured starts to melt into his brain. His pairing partner, his mate, his friend had seen him in such a state at the hands of another. What was Guy thinking? He probably was hurting just as much as he was—if he was still alive.

—

"Riki, you shouldn't drink so much of that stuff!" Guy scolds gently, trying to yank the bottle from the boy's hands.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Riki grumbles, scowling at the taller boy. "But it helps pass the time."

"If you have so much free time, then go do something."

"There's nothing left, Guy, can't you see that?" Riki snaps, "We're all gonna die in this shit hole."

Guy sighs, sitting down next to the fellow mongrel, "Come on, don't say that."

"There's no where left to go, no place that we won't be discriminated and no chance of us repopulating," the smaller mongrel lists off, snatching back the bottle.

"What's happened to you? Didn't you always used to say you'd crawl out of this 'shit hole,'" Guy quotes, "Didn't you always say you'd never give up like the others?"

Riki chugs back the drink, refusing to let Guy in on anymore of his feelings. In all truth, he did hate his life in the dirty outskirts of the city. And there really was no chance of their species continuing, so there really was no point in even living there anymore. Throwing the empty bottle to the side, he lurches to his feet, "I'm going to get rations. I don't know when I'll be back."

"Do you want me to—?"

"No, I'm going on my own," he snaps, "Don't follow me."

"Riki, please... come back soon this time..."

He scoffs, not turning around, "Yeah, yeah, yeah."

—

Riki inhales a shaky breath, "Guy—" His breath catches as the sound of a door opening meets his ears, he braces expecting the Prince to arrive and humiliate him more.

"Master Riki," Jak calls softly, approaching the hanging boy with caution as he steps around the vomit filled floor. He carries in a pail of lukewarm water and a rag.

"Jak..." he breathes, watching the boy disappear behind him. A sudden wave of embarrassment floods over him as he realizes he's naked. "I'm...don't look."

"I'm not going to stare at your body besides your wounds, which have to be cleaned or else it might get infected."

He worriedly twists his head around at the sound of the rag being wrung out and water spilling back into the pail, "Don't..."

"I'll be gentle," Jak promises, softly running the cloth over the lash wounds. "See? I'm trying to not hurt you."

Riki flinches, even if Jak was being gentle, it still hurt like a bitch! The water pierced each wound, before fading away with a warm pain. He couldn't tell which one hurt more.

"This is a medicated water," Jak whispers, continuing his task of trying to clean and treat the wounds. "I'm sure Master will give you more healing cream later, but this will help with the first stage of healing."

"That bastard can burn in hell," Riki spits, cringing as the cloth runs over a really tender spot.

"He's not as bad as you may think he is right now, Riki," Jak denies, shaking his head as he wets the rag before wringing it out again. He slides out to the front of the slave, gently wiping away the dried blood.

"He's fucking cruel and evil!" Riki insists bitterly, flinching at the painful contact, "He's practically a devil incarnate! He killed my friend!"

"No."

"Yes!"

"No!" Jak hisses, throwing the rag down and angrily glaring at Riki with glistening eyes. "He's not like that at all! He's only cruel because—"

"Because why?"

"Because he doesn't want you to run away!" Jak spills, grabbing onto the rag again to throw it into the bucket. "He doesn't want you...to leave."

"You think that him doing what he did will make me stay? He killed my friend and humiliated me!"

Jak doesn't answer, instead he sighs and rises up to take away the pail, "You can believe what you want. Master can appear cruel and unreasonable, but one thing I know is everything he does has a purpose."

—

"You're awake so soon?" the Prince calls, stepping promptly into the room to retrieve his disobedient slave and hope to finally put him in his place.

"Get away from me!" Riki snarls, feebly trying to break free of the chains as the Prince strides over.

Iason grabs onto Riki's collar, yanking hard on it so the boy chokes, "Come, slave. We are going to enjoy a nice performance." He leans in close to Riki's face, their noses an inch apart, "I believe you'll enjoy it thoroughly."

—

"Prepare the execution," the Prince orders, hauling Riki over to a cage hanging from supports. He opens the door, before roughly tossing him inside. The cage swings side to side as the mongrel weakly tries to scramble back to the exit, only to have the door slammed in his face. "Enjoy the show from the comfort of your cage, slave."

Riki stares past the bars to see some sort of platform with two wooden posts connected by a post in the middle and the corners have one board connecting to the top. Four of the post structures are lined up, two ropes hang from each. His eyes fall to a grate of some kind under each of them. What was that?

The Prince sits down at a table, sipping a chalice full of wine. "Shall I show you what happens to people who disobey, Riki?"

Four figures covered in thick mud are led in chains to the front of each platform. Sacks over their faces conceal their identity along with the mud covering their skin colours. Riki's stomach churns, four platforms, and he had four friends...

He watches in silent horror as executioners tie the ropes around the victim's legs before levying them upwards so they're handing upside down. His eyes finally meet the saws laying on the ground by each structure.

"Oh... God no..." he chokes, trying to avert his gaze. His hands are still cuffed so he can't cover them or his ears to brace for what is to come.

"Remember Riki, I have saved you from a fate such as this," Iason calmly tells the boy. "If you don't behave, I can easily send you to be in place of one of those people." He sips his drink, "But if you agree to stay by my side peacefully, you shall never meet this fate."

The executioners position the saw between the man's legs, slowly rocking it back and forth. The man jerks and thrashes against the ropes, releasing a bloodcurdling scream as the saw cuts through his genitals and into his lower abdomen.

Riki gags, twisting away from the sight. He didn't want to see this. He didn't know who was under those disguises, what if that was Guy? What if that was one of his clan members?

The blood drips down from the man's stomach, clotting together with his internal organs and slowly sliding down into the grating system. The executioners pull out the blade halfway through the stomach, allowing all the blood to continue rushing to the man's head so he stays conscious for a longer period of time. They move onto the neck man, who starts screaming and sobbing the moment the executioners near.

The heavy scent of blood meets his nose, causing vomit to flood in Riki's mouth before splashing on the ground beneath him as he starts to panic. His breathing hitches, before picking up a faster pace. His heart thunders in his chest, what if these were his friends? He had caused them to have to endure this! He clutches onto the bars, trying to support himself or grab onto something, but his body gives out as too much oxygen goes to his brain.

—

The ground sways beneath him, the blood rushing to his head as he feels something cold press against his skin in between his legs.

"This is what happens to people who disobey...Riki," the Prince whispers, starting to saw him in half. The blade slices through him, but the blood all pours down his back. Stinging before spreading coldly across his skin, aggravating the whip lashes before numbing them.

He jolts forward, weakly trying to scramble forward on instinct as his body is rigid with fear. He can't move, deepening his terror as he realizes he's trapped.

"Be still," the Prince orders, running two fingers along a part of the boy's back.

Riki flinches, but realizes that his back is numb due to the soothing balm. He closes his eyes, letting his heart wind down to the proper speed. He wasn't dead, he wasn't dead, he was alive...

"What were you dreaming about?" Iason whispers, leaning over Riki's back with his hands on either side of him.

"Nothing! Get off me, fucker!" He tries to elbow the man away, but his marred back protests by sending pain regardless of the soothing cream.

"Hmph, it seems the prideful mongrel is still barking even after your pairing partner saw you in such a heated state," Iason growls, "Did you not learn that you belong to me? Must I make you endure more?"

"Get away from me!" Riki cries, his voice cracking briefly as the grief of his loss hits him hard, but he forces hatred to drip from his voice to mask his true emotions. "Get the fuck away from me, you devil!"

"I'm a devil now?"

"Get away, you fucker!"

Irked by the mongrel's furious rejection, the Prince frowns, "My touch and presence are that horrendous to you now, hm?" He yanks on the boy's hair, "I don't think you understand your situation, you have no right to reject me, slave. I'll allow you some time to reflect on your errors." He pushes Riki's face into the bed, pressing down hard on the struggling mongrel, "Throw him in my dungeon."

—

It had to have been over three days. Darkness surrounds him like a suffocating blanket, while the cold hard ground sends shivers up his spine. He lays against the floor, all energy to get away completely absent from his body. He couldn't even cry anymore, he was just like an empty and hurting husk. His friends and beloved had been killed off, all because he had to go and make a deal with the Prince.

"For...give me..." he repeats for the eighty fourth time, his parched throat garbling the words to a rough whisper. He had no right to be forgiven for what he had done, but he couldn't help himself in pleading anyways. He hoped his silent prayers would go to wherever his tortured friend's souls had ended up...

—

"I trust everything gave you the desired results, your Highness?" the figure grins, eagerly waiting to collect his pay.

"Indeed, it did give me the ability to capture all the mongrels that you had listed and located," the Prince calmly answers, sliding the bag of gold towards the figure. "Here is the agreed payment."

"Thank you, your Highness, you are too generous."

—

Warmth, beautiful warmth! He desperately clings to the body heat of whoever is picking him up, not feeling any embarrassment at the action as he's barely conscious and incredibly numb. He needed heat, he was practically a brick of ice. If he didn't get some kind of heat or contact, he'd fall further into the terrors of his mind and the darkness. Someone, anyone, make it stop! Make the memories and pain go away!

"Yes," the Prince rumbles, "Accept me." He pulls the shivering and absent minded Riki into his arms, watching the adorable sight of the boy pressing his cold skin against his warm body, adding a whisper in the boy's ear, "And I will set your friends free."


	11. Death Is Freedom

"Forgive me!" he screams, his back arching unnaturally in agony as the pain seeps deep into his tissue. He claws the rug fibers, his frame shaking in torment from the scorching hot metal being pressed into him. The feeling of his skin being ripped off as the metal leaves his body sends a bloodcurdling scream from his throat, his world turning dark as he starts to lose consciousness due to shock. His freedom is ripped away; ice cold water splashing his face and entering his mouth and nose. He falls forward to the floor, gasping and choking as his body lays still. "No...more..." he whimpers weakly, feeling his Master's fingers run across his back to caress the new branding scar.

"Hey..." Daryl whispers, pulling the smaller boy from the nightmare back into reality. He gives the sweat covered face a gentle caress. "Jak, you're all right. Stop screaming."

The boy blinks, staring up at the sandy blonde servant. "Daryl..."

"Come on," he whispers, pulling the boy up into his arms. He slides one hand through the soft, sweat covered hair in a soothing motion. "You're safe now, you're safe."

Jak trembles slightly, burying his face into Daryl's chest to inhale the familiar scent. "I'm sorry..." he whimpers, gripping onto the bigger boy's body.

Daryl lands a kiss on Jak's forehead, "You have nothing to be sorry about, Jak. So sleep," he whispers, lulling the servant into a relaxed state of euphoria.

—

Riki peels himself from the sheets, every move sending waves of agony coursing through his stiff, bruised and cut body. The Prince had picked him up and taken him to sleep in the bed last night, did that mean his punishment was up? Was he now allowed to remain in the bedroom and not locked away in the darkness and terror?

His stomach protests, bringing his attention to how hungry he was. He hadn't been fed while he was locked up, and he could tell his strength and even his sanity was in need of remedying. He needed to know if his friends were dead, he needed to know this instant. If he continued living and they were not...then there was no point. He didn't want to be the last mongrel in the world, it was too lonely. And with not being a free mongrel, it was torture. He should have remained content with being by Guy's side and leading the clan. Even if he wasn't satisfied with living in the shitty outskirts of the town, he shouldn't have been selfish and abandoned everyone. But he craved something, something different from his previous life. And it disgusted him, but he was actually a bit intrigued by what life the Prince was living and that was part of the reason he was in this current mess.

A side door opens, revealing the servant known as Daryl. His eyes narrow on the now awake mongrel, carefully watching him as he brings forth a tray full of sliced bread and fruit. Still intently gazing at the wild beast, he sets it gently down on the side table. "Master says you are to eat before bathing," Daryl explains, "You are to be fit to go out later this evening."

"I'm not going anywhere," the mongrel hisses frigidly, throwing a pillow at the boy before covering himself back up with the sheets and rolling away. "And I'm not eating."

"Do as you will," Daryl grumbles while rolling his eyes, before walking away from the sulking mongrel. He actually felt bad for Riki, he knew what it was like to have your freedom stripped away—he was a servant to Master Mink after all. But he had taken a different route and had been obedient and overall accepting of his position, unlike Riki.

After the door closes, Riki throws off the sheets and inspects the tray. His dark eyes searching for the object of his desire; the polished silverware. There it was, the knife for slicing the bread, so carelessly laying on the sliver board. He carefully wraps it in a white serviette, before swiftly scanning the room for a spot to hide it. He had been trapped in the room a lot, so finding a spot the Prince didn't frequent a lot shouldn't be a problem, but it was. He finally slides the concealed knife under the mattress and the bed frame—ensuring it was far enough under that the servants or maids wouldn't notice, but it was easy enough to grab in case of needing to use it.

The sound of the door opening startles him, causing him to curl up under the sheets again as the Prince enters. The man stops, staring at the sight of the lump under the covers and the untouched food on the tray. He huffs in annoyance, approaching the bedside closest to the door. "Riki," he calls, the hard tone in his voice warning the mongrel he is not in the mood for disobedience. Riki flinches slightly, but quickly covers up his fear with his bitter bravado. "Slave, why have you not eaten? It has been over three days since you have consumed anything." The mongrel feels the bed decompress as the man sits himself down, showing that he planned to wait for an answer. "Riki."

"Fuck off," he growls under the covers.

"You need to eat," the Prince coldly explains, ripping the covers and heavy blankets off of the bed with one forceful yank to expose the nude mongrel.

"What the fuck?" Riki snarls, flipping over to take a swing at the man. He falls forward, his body crippled by the pain. Iason catches him, maneuvering him onto his lap and sturdy hold, "Let go!" He starts to thrash, but stiffens to a statue when one gloved hand reaches his ass.

"Why aren't you eating?"

Riki stares angrily up at the questioning blue eyes, "I'm not hungry."

"That is a lie," the Prince immediately counters, running his hand along a tanned ass cheek, "Every human will get hungry after not eating for as many days as you have. Now tell me, why are you not eating?"

"I don't want anything from you!" Riki hisses, "I'm not a dog you can brutally play with and then expect me to come and curl into your lap!"

Iason smirks at the word choice of 'dog', "But that is the life of a slave. I can do what I want with my slave, and they should always be willing to come and do whatever I wish."

"Not happening!"

"Yes," the Prince agrees, "That would be dreadfully boring if you were the same. I've had countless slaves who just obey me in fear. But you, you are the only one who has tried to defy me at every given opportunity." He runs a thumb affectionately down the boy's face, "You are a brave little wolf to nip at the heals of someone as powerful as I."

Riki grits his teeth, before abruptly lurching up in attempt to right hook the bastard in the face. "You fuck—hnnngh!" Fingers intrude his body, carving themselves deeper into his crevice with rubbing his sensitive insides.

"You become so quiet when I play with you here," the Prince grins, watching the mongrel bite his quivering lips and tremble in his lap. "Does this feel good?" he rumbles.

Shit! It shouldn't be this good! How did he make him feel so good? "Ah...not a...toy...!" he moans, his hips bucking as his insides clench around the hot digits. His erection grinds into the man's knee, causing further sensations of pleasure; he couldn't help it!

"Your body clearly wants something from me," Iason taunts in a whisper, "Your body is so honest..."

"N...no..."

"Oh yes," the Prince purrs, rapidly stroking the inner spot.

"Hah...Ahh!" Riki gasps loudly, clutching onto the sheets as his body arches into the touch. He shivers uncontrollably, falling into the Prince's body as the ecstasy of climax overpowers him.

Iason pulls his fingers out of the clenching opening, the distinct scent of the mongrel tickling his senses and activating some part of his brain. Something about it aroused him greatly, heck, everything about the mongrel seemed to arouse him. Out of all of his beautiful slaves, this one, in it's vulgar and rough state seemed to drive him insane. Never had he had the urge to take one of his slaves. Even when he told them they could be used for sex, he actually hadn't ever had sex with any of them. Instead, he got pleasure from watching them masturbate or fuck with another one of his brother's slaves.

Riki was the first one he had actually touched, pleasured and been extremely aroused by. All the others were merely objects to show his status, and to do his errands. They all were content with their positions—minus the few whores who threw themselves at him, desperate for affection and penetration. Needless to say, they were promptly disposed of. But Riki was something completely different. He didn't obey, and he was fierce and defiant to the majority of his requests. And instead of coming to the blonde for sex, he fought against his urges and bodily reactions, which was very interesting to watch. He hadn't even trained him to do his job yet. That's how prideful the lone wolf was.

"Enough all ready!" he snarls, weakly trying to hit away the blonde. "Let me go. I'm tired!"

"You'd be better if you ate," Iason reminds, reaching over to the table and grabbing a piece of fruit in between his fingers. "Open." He presses the fruit against the pale lips, ready to force it in.

"Mo—" he protests, only to have the fruit promptly put into his mouth and his chin pushed up so he can't spit it up. "Mmn!"

"Just be good, Riki," the Prince softly entreats, sliding his thumb along the lips. He watches the mongrel scowl, but ultimately chew the fruit before swallowing. "Good boy," he praises, running the thumb up to the boy's right ear.

Riki flinches, moving away from the touch—he really couldn't handle much more sensitive stroking, he was way too sensitive. "Enough," he barks, twisting away from Iason and starting to crawl back to his spot on the bed.

The Prince chuckles softly, "I'll be back in a bit. So eat while I'm gone, you must be ready to come to a dinner with me tonight. There are important guests, and you must behave."

"Not going."

"Shall I go find another mongrel friend of yours and saw him in half in front of you?"

Riki pales, staring into the blue eyes to search for if the threat had any actual truth to it. "Don't you dare!" he snarls, fear taking over him as he realizes that Iason very well could have his entire clan in the castle. All could be future subjects to his cruel whims and threats. The blue eyes harden, taunting him to even give him another ounce of attitude—one more remark and his clan would all be hanging upside down. "I...I'll go..." he softly answers, looking away from the blonde, "So leave them alone."

The Prince nods, "Very well. And do eat something, as there are still many hours before the evening. I'll send the servants to tend your wounds so you can move easier tonight."

Riki slouches in the bed, pulling his knees up against him, just how many of his friends did that bastard have? And how long would this constant fear of them being killed last?

—

"Are you almost ready?" Iason asks, peeking into the room as the servants continue to fight with the mongrel to help him get dressed.

He stops to admire the black collar that leads to white tunic with a v neck that reveals the mongrel's beautiful tanned skin. The loose bell shaped sleeves add to the elegant air of the outfit. His black breeches fit nicely against his toned legs, but allow him a spot for his hands as there were pockets. He looked so good, Iason wanted to throw him down and fuck him.

"Enough!" he snarls, batting at the servants lifting his leg and sliding a brown riding boat onto one foot, then repeat the action for the other side.

"Hurry it up, he needs to be ready," he orders, disappearing through the doorway again.

"Yes Master."

Riki pushes them away, "Enough. I'm fine! So just leave me alone!" The servants nod, satisfied and leave him to be alone before the Prince returns. Seeing his chance, he hurries to the bed and snatches the knife, shoving it into his pocket before sitting calmly on the bed. This was it, today would be the day he ruined the Prince.

As if on cue, he appears again, swiftly approaching the mongrel. Riki flinches as he thinks the man is about his hit him hard, but instead the gloved hand caresses his face, "I got something for you." With his other hand, he grasps onto the mongrel's sliding a ring onto one of his fingers. He brings it up to his lips, laying a kiss upon the metal and flesh. "Now nobody can harm you." Riki pulls his hand away, staring at the gold band that has a bright blue stone encased in the metal, it was really beautiful. "Now come, we have to go. Our carriage awaits." Iason hooks the chain leash to the mongrel's collar, gently guiding the boy to the exit.

Riki battles with his emotions, why did he have a ring? Why was the Prince being so kind? What the fuck was going on? With each step down the hall and to the carriage, the knife in his pocket seems to weigh him down more and more.

—

He sits silently at the Prince's feet, not really enjoying the pompous company they were visiting. There was one fat lady dressed in a lavish and bright colored purple dress was well, ugly beyond help. Her nose was incredibly pointy, protruding out from her chubby face, her teeth were a bit twisted in the front and tainted a tinge of yellow, and she even had a mole. Whenever he looked at her Riki would relate her to the people from the folklore his mother called witches. But that wasn't the worst part, she reeked of perfume. So much that Riki actually had to cough a few times because it irritated his lungs, and he was used to smoke, so whatever this shit was was way too potent. The next lady was dressed in a poofy dress of red, and her brown hair was all pinned up in a nice bun and had jewels embedded. She was OK, minus her squeaky voice and own distinct smell blending to the perfume toxins in the air. The fat lady's husband was just about as big as her, if not more. And he was lacking hair substantially, and the little he did have was greasy and stuck to his head. His fat fingers would pluck something up and almost be engulfed in the flesh. And worst of all, he spit— a lot. Gobs would fly across the table, and during the greeting one even hit him in the face, but he tried so hard to remain calm and wipe it away for the sake of his friends. The last man was the only decent one besides the Prince. He was very gentleman like, dressed in his various shades of brown, long sleeved tunic that adorned stitched patterns. His brown boots were just a shade darker than his breeches, making him appear overall well dressed. Riki wondered why he was married to such a squeaky voiced and annoying women.

"If I may inquire, how did you get this mongrel?" the squeaky voiced bitch asks, leaning forward over the food and plate covered table slightly to catch a glimpse of the beast. Riki glares up at her, daring her to even try to mess with him. A swift tug on his hair reminds him to behave. "I think he would look so good standing next to our slave, Carlo. They would be such a contrast."

The servant bows, Riki's breath catches as in a boy in a blue tunic and brown breeches with shackles around his wrists rather than neck is led into the room. But that wasn't what amazed Riki, what did was the boy's appearance. He had pale skin, that was a just a tad short of the Prince's perfect marble tone; his hair was almost grey, which perplexed Riki as the boy wasn't old, and bright green eyes that seemed to glow as they stared obediently at the floor.

"Ah, one of Prince Raoul's," Iason comments, causing Riki to stare from the man to the boy in confusion. What did that blonde bastard have anything to do with the boy?

"We are indeed grateful for him bringing the boy into our lives, he is quite the possession," the lady sighs, watching the servant lead the boy to the side of the room to a small platform. "May we stand them side by side?"

Iason tugs Riki's collar, "Go on, Riki."

Riki scowls, but the Prince flashes him a warning glare that demands obedience so he rises to his feet. The servant reaches to grab the chain, but Riki smacks his hands away, heading to the platform on his own. He falls beside the boy, sneaking a glance at him before letting his gaze wander to the critical stares on him. He hated this already.

"My, my, you let your slave look up?" the fat lady remarks in a croak, catching the mongrel's death glare. "What an untamed thing!"

"He does not fair well with people as of yet," the Prince calmly explains. "He has had a hard life and is not used to being a slave to royalty yet." He catches the dark eyes, sending a shiver coursing down the mongrel's spine at the hidden threat of the deep blue. "Behave, Riki."

Riki scowls, glaring at the floor like his life—no, like the lives of his friends depend on it. Why were they staring at them? What were they hoping to gain from just staring at the two of them side by side? Nothing was going to happen. Nothing at all.

"Can we see his body?"

Riki flinches, my God what did these people want to see? He was a normal human being for Christ sake! He just had darker skin! He peeks over at Iason, grimacing as the Prince didn't seem to mind the idea. Come on you bastard! Don't let them strip me!

"Carlo," the man orders.

In mere seconds, the boy's tunic is removed by the servants and hangs on the shackles. Riki did a double take, how the hell did he strip so fast! He worriedly looks at Iason, he didn't have to do this, right? Sadly, the Prince gives him a commanding nod, sealing his fate. He clicks his tongue softly, but pulls the tunic off his body, letting it fall to the floor. He gives one hard glare to everyone before letting his eyes meet the floor again.

"My goodness," the squeaky lady breathes, "His body is so well kept!"

"I thought for sure that mongrel's would have scars and imperfections, but he has none!" the gross man spits, staring at Riki as if he is no longer human, but a full course meal awaiting his arrival.

"I would love to see him at one of the slave parties, is he a top or bottom?"

"Yes, he would look so good being mounted by your slave!"

Holy fuck, the table was full of perverts! They wanted him to do what at a party? What kind of party were these people implying? Obviously it wasn't the ballroom masquerade shit from before! And why did it matter if he was a top of bottom?

"Will you ever bring him to a party, your Highness?" the squeaky women asks eagerly.

"I do not know, I think he would not fair well at such an event," the Prince calmly answers, spotting the mongrel's disgust and fear clouded eyes. "But he did have a mating partner before." He catches Riki's gaze, "Well slave, were you a top or bottom while mating?"

Riki gnashes his teeth together, "A top."

"Perfect! Why don't we let him try Carlo! Then we can thoroughly enjoy our meal," the man grins, looking to the Prince, "But only if you approve, your Highness."

"No fucking way," Riki hisses, staring at the crowd of eager perverts. "I won't fuck for your enjoyment."

"Riki," Iason calls, his voice as cold as winter itself. "Behave."

A moment of silence passes, before the squeaky voice women pipes up, "If I may, may I touch his skin?"

"Oh yes, I would like to as well!"

Iason rises, walking towards the mongrel before standing behind him, "Behave or you'll be punished," he whispers so only Riki can hear him. He motions for the eager ladies to come touch his slave's skin.

Riki cringes, he hated how they were treating him like a doll or something. He holds his breath as the perfume scents flood his nose, stealing clean air from his lungs. The ladies run their hands along his skin, commenting on the smoothness and color pigment. It felt disgusting, like he was some dog that they were petting with their slimy hands! He's just about to hit them away, but Iason catches his hands in his steel vice. "Stop touching me you dirty—!"

In one swift motion he's wrapped in Iason's arms, practically incapacitated by the strong hold. "Excuse us for a moment." The women move away, clearly offended and shocked, but they watch the Prince drag the cussing and struggling Riki out of the room and into another confined area.

"Such a vulgar thing, why would the Prince want something like that?" the fat lady grunts, toddling back to her husband's side.

"I think it's because he's that way the Prince wants him," the gentlemen comments, gently embracing his own lady. "Would the Prince not be the best person to teach him obedience?"

Riki is thrown to the ground, but immediately bolts straight back up, prepared to fight. "You fucker! You were going to just let them—" A hard blow to his face sends him flying backwards.

"You dare disrespect our guests?" the Prince coldly hisses, pulling a crop from his boot.

"Do it! I fucking dare you!" he hisses, backing up the the wall. He reaches into his pocket, pulling out the knife. "I fucking dare you to get closer!"

"Where did you get that?" Iason demands, his eyes going icy blue as he realizes that is the silverware from his own castle.

"Don't take another step," he snarls, pressing the blade to his throat.

"Riki." The Prince stops, watching the boy with narrowed eyes, trying to tell if it's a bluff or not. Would the mongrel really commit suicide in another noble's house just to tarnish his reputation further?

"I'm not your slave."

"Riki, you cannot honestly be—"

"Shut your mouth!" Riki screeches, "You've taken everything from me! My friends, my freedom, my life!" He presses the points deeper into his skin, all he would have to do was one motion and his throat would be cut.

"Riki—."

"You did this!" he accuses, staring directly into the blue eyes, "You're the reason this is happening." He starts to move the blade slowly, adding bitterly, "I hope you're fucking happy, your Highness." He drives the blade into the skin; blood spews down to alert him he's cut deep enough.

Iason lurches forward, watching crimson flood down from the wound on the side of the neck. "Riki, Riki!" he panics, pressing his gloved hand to the wound, trying to apply pressure. The mongrel chokes, sputtering up blood that drips down his chin as his lips open and close of distress and panic flood through him, "No, no, no. Riki."

The gentleman enters, his breath catching at the sight. "Your Highness!"

"Get me a doctor!" he orders loudly. The gentleman hurries away, shouting to his servants down the hall to find a doctor quickly. Iason turns back to Riki, watching helplessly as the dark eyes flutter closed and open. Tightness grips his chest, he hadn't wished to drive the mongrel this far, he hadn't wanted his precious slave to die. He holds tightly onto the boy's hand, running his thumb over the crimson stained ring. He wasn't even going to let him touch Carlo, he wanted the mongrel all to himself! He was going to politely turn down the offer! There was so much he could've done to prevent this, but he wanted to see how the mongrel would react even with his friends at stake to amuse himself. "Riki, please...please don't die," he chokes, kissing the trembling eyelids gently. "Please."


	12. Shattering The Divide

"Riki, Riki, stay with me!" Iason whispers, pressing his gloved hand harder to the wound; crimson drenches the fabric. He gently caresses the boy's head with his other hand, running his fingers through the dark hair. "Riki, please..." He raises the boy's body, gently pressing him to his chest while still trying to apply pressure, "Please don't die, my rare beauty," he whispers into the boy's ear.

The doctor rushes in, removing Riki from the Prince's arms. Iason's breath catches, his mongrel slipping from his hands as if time itself has slowed to a crawl. His eyes scanning over every inch of his fading possession as the doctor starts sewing up the openings to prevent further blood lose. He raises his hand to his chest, a strange pain spiking through his heart like a dagger. What was this feeling he was having towards a mere slave? Never before had he developed any kind of feelings towards any of them, let alone harbor this emotion at the thought of them dying. That bothered him, he shouldn't have these feelings towards a toy he will one day tire of!

"Your Highness, I've stopped the bleeding," the doctor sounds, snapping Iason back to life from his turmoil. "But it would be best if you get Prince Am to ensure that he will not have any further problems. Your carriage is waiting for you."

The Prince carefully rips off his cloak, wrapping Riki up in it before hurrying down the corridor to the entrance. He presses down on the cloth concealing the swiftly stitched wound, relief trickling slowly through him as he feels the heartbeat of Riki beneath his fingers.

"Your Highness—"

"Silence!" he bellows, ignoring his guests who are still waiting for his return. He was being extremely rude to leave them halfway through the dinner, but he didn't give a damn. His mongrel, this troublesome beast, was at risk of passing on to the next world to join his ancestors and he didn't permit it. He wasn't prepared to have his treasure slip through his fingers, especially not now that it had drawn these strange feelings out of him. He wanted to know just how deep these feelings were, what was causing them, what made them start?

He wanted to hold the mongrel, caress his tanned body in his hands and feel the warmth and energy that radiated into his fingertips like a scorching wildfire each time he touched him. He wanted to hear the mongrel's sweet cries, watch his lips convulse as he panted for breath from the pleasure his body craved but his foul mouth denied need for. Yes, he wanted to see the mongrel struggle against his desires, before succumbing to the pleasure which he provided.

"You're mine," he whispers to Riki, settling down inside the carriage with the mongrel in his arms. "You are far from finished belonging to me." He presses his lips to the boy's, licking the crimson that transfers to his, "You will always be mine, my prideful wolf. Not even death can free you from me."

—

"He'll live," Raoul growls, finishing up his task of cleaning and thoroughly closing the wound and ensuring there are no other internal wounds that can cause future trouble. "God knows why I saved him, he clearly doesn't want to be."

"Raoul," Iason hisses frigidly, still holding onto Riki's hand. "Why isn't he waking up?"

"It'll awake when it's ready, now leave it and go do your work."

"I cannot be at ease until he is awake, Raoul."

"Iason," the fellow Prince calls as gently as he can, "I assure you, I will send for you the moment it starts to awake."

He hesitates, but nods, "I'll be back for you, Riki." He leans down, planting a kiss on the boy's forehead before straightening up. "I'm trusting you, Raoul."

Raoul waves him off, turning away to organize his bottles. He waits until the door closes behind his brother and he hears him walk away. He carefully chooses a bottle, popping off the lid and swishing the contents before approaching the boy. "What sort of spell have you enchanted him with, mongrel? Why does he treat you, a mere dirty slave, like a precious gem?" He presses the crystal bottle to Riki's lips, "Let us see how he reacts when you fail to wake up." The liquid runs down Riki's throat, pushing him into a deeper sleep so he is unable to awaken naturally.

—

"Why hasn't he awoken yet?" Iason snaps, gently pressing his fingers to the boy's neck. His frantic heart slows a fraction as he feels the steady two paced beat under his gloved digits. "Is something wrong with him?" Please God, don't let anything be wrong with him!

"Iason, it will awake when it does, how many times must I repeat myself? I'm not able to predict the future of when it'll open it's eyes," the green eyed man answers, "It will wake when it does. Now calm down before you break things!" He scrambles over, barely rescuing the crystal bottles that are about to become victim to his brother's wrath as the blonde slams his fist down on the table.

"Riki..." the Prince breathes in distress, shaking slightly as he stares down at his mongrel. Raoul watches, both aghast and appalled, as Iason caresses the mongrel's face in his hands ever so gently. A look that he had never seen touch his brother's features stops him dead in his tracks—pain. Was Iason honestly pained by the mongrel not waking up?

"You care for it that much?" he questions in disgust, watching the fellow Prince shower the mongrel's neck with kisses while adorning an expression of twisted pain and regret. They were Royalty of the purest blood, they were bred to be powerful and have very limited emotions, and pain and regret were not ones that were typically prominent. Emotions could result in weakness. Why should they regret any decisions they made? They took what they wanted, when they wanted. There was no room for regret. And pain! They were virtually immune to that troublesome burden—physically and emotionally. So why was his brother, the most powerful of all of the Princes showing such a weakness to something of low value?

"Raoul, if Riki dies...I will never forgive myself."

The fellow Prince blinks, composing himself before his jaw nearly drops open in astonishment. "You would be that troubled by the death of it?" He back peddles through his brain, something was wrong here! Iason had been corrupted by the mongrel! "Something is wrong, Iason. Our bloodline is incapable of having any feelings such as what you're showing towards anyone, let alone a mongrel."

"Have you ever wondered if maybe we could have emotions such as love, but we denied it?" Iason whispers, staring up at Raoul as he ruffles the dark hair with his gloved hand. "What if we are capable of feelings that we were told and taught to deny since birth to be proper? Is that so wrong?"

"Are you ill, Iason?" Prince Raoul inquires, setting the bottles down to rush over to Iason. He raises his hand, only to have it slapped away with on swift motion. "Iason, I think you are confusing your emotions. I think you are experiencing lust and infatuation for your slave because he is rare; there is no way for our kind to feel love. You of all should know that!"

Lust and infatuation, was that what he was feeling? Was it because he wanted to see Riki in pleasure, was that what he was mistaking love for? Or was it because Riki's body seemed to respond to him in such a way that he had never seen or felt? It was possible, he hadn't ever experienced love, lust or ever been obsessed with anything. He had only mild pleasure and contentment with his other slaves, he enjoyed hearing them moan as they masturbated and fornicated, but he never received the same degree of pleasure as they seemed to receive. And Riki seemed to receive a pleasure he couldn't even fathom.

"Perhaps you're right," Iason mumbles, stepping back to lean against the table as he muddles through his brain.

"But remember Iason, do not cross the boundaries laid out."

Oh yes, the boundaries. The delightful dos and don'ts that had been taught and repeated until they were branded into his brain. Slaves were only meant to do your biding, show status, receive mild affection and visually please you. Iason smirks, he had broken so many of the guidelines, and he wanted to break the worst one—he wanted to fuck Riki more and more each time the sweet mongrel moaned.

"I will never cross those boundaries Raoul, I will never fall that low," he lies bitterly through his teeth. "I do not view Riki as anything forbidden, but I do view him as something precious." He leans down to kiss the tanned skin, "I have brought something rare into my life, is it wrong to be worried about it?"

"You should not be worrying over something so vulgar."

"I see Riki as something beautiful, Raoul. And I want to keep his beauty beside me for as long as I can."

"You possess a twisted sense of beauty," Raoul scoffs, turning away from his brother. "I do not care what you feel for that, as long as you preserve yourself for marriage one day and do not cross the boundaries, what you do is none of my concern." He pauses, "But I truly believe you are feeling lust and infatuation. You can simply deal with that by having him masturbate for you. That is all that you can do to alleviate your... curiosity. I'll also give you a small elixir, together that should decrease your emotional imbalance."

—

Iason rests his head gently against Riki's chest, pressing his ear to the flesh to hear the clear thudding of his heart. It had been almost ten days since he had seen the beautiful dark eyes full of fight that were hiding under the tanned eyelids and long black lashes. With each passing day, a strange feeling gripped his chest when he was away from the mongrel. He found himself rushing to Raoul's work room more and more, whenever he had a chance. He found himself craving the warm touch of the tawny skin, the rising and falling of the toned chest and above all, the steady heartbeat.

"Oh Riki...please wake up," he whispers tenderly, leaning over the boy and wrapping his arms around him. He pulls Riki up into his arms and sits down with the boy close as if he's an infant. He was discovering that just having the mongrel near pacified the strange aching in his chest. Never had he held a slave with such fear inside of him. Raoul's concoction had eased had calmed him tremendously, he was filled to the brim with fret, but his body was so relaxed it was hard to show or express it. Inside he was in a chaotic state, but his body was locked into composition.

He gently rocks Riki in his arms, pressing their bodies together. "Riki, if you can hear me...please wake up," he shakily pleads in barely a whisper. "You need to wake up." His voice breaks on the last two words, his emotions flying off the handle and going into overdrive. He squeezes Riki tightly, his frame shaking as if he were sobbing, but without the tears. "Riki, you need...to...wake up now..." he pleads, his heart feeling as if someone has stabbed through it with a sharp point.

The ten days had been agony, he hadn't slept properly and was on the verge of losing it. Each night when he closed his eyes, he would see his mongrel crying, the knife slitting his neck, blood dripping from the perfect body, the dark eyes full of hate and acceptance. That was what haunted him the most, those dark eyes that held all the emotions of Riki. It was as if his eyes were like stained glass that held all of his emotions; all the pain, hate, resistance, denial, lust, pride and sorrow painted his dark orbs. The Riki of his dreams would break down into tears, pleading for him to stop, spare his friends, and free him. The mongrel would shake so bad, that he would literally start to fall apart. Iason would frantically run to him to hug him tightly, but the mongrel would just continue to shatter like broken crystal in his hands. Then when there was nothing left but the beautiful mongrel's head full of cracks, the dark eyes would pierce him, a distorted voice of sobs, moans, and screaming would cry:

"You did this!"

"No...Riki..."

"You killed me with your cruel hands."

"No, I didn't—"

"I hope these memories haunt you until you burn in hell!"

Riki's decapitated head would then spew blood from all openings, covering Iason's white gloves with crimson that was hot enough to brand his skin. He would try to save him, but the mongrel's head would crack open in his arms like a broken egg; the insides spewing out all over him and burning his flesh. As he screamed and cried, the ring and collar he gave to Riki would appear in his hands, the only things that marked Riki as his own.

He would wake up choking, the panic taking over his heart as he lurched out of bed and straight to Raoul's work room to see his mongrel. And once he was sure that nothing had happened, he would slowly calm down before going to bed and requesting a cup of tea to ease his nerves. He had witnessed death since he was young, and was never phased, but when it came to Riki's suicide and his dreams he couldn't cope.

He tugs off the white gloves, before running his jittery fingers through the black hair. "I cannot lose you now, Riki," he murmurs, repeating a soothing motion with his fingertips. He freezes, a warmth filling his chest as he swears he feels the boy move into his touch. "Please, Riki...come back to me..."

—

"Riki...! No, no, no, no, no!" Iason panics, clutching onto the boy's still body. No steady heartbeat meets him as he presses his palm against the boy's cold chest. "Riki..." he chokes, his voice breaking pitifully.

Raoul watches in horror as Iason cradles the boy in his arms so gently. What was that fool doing? It was just a mongrel, there was nothing special about him! The fact he was wasting so much time on the creature angered him substantially. But at the same time, he wanted to know just how Iason would respond if the creature was dead, or appeared to be. Iason seemed to be clinging to the mongrel as he was in a state that he believed to be of near death, but would he finally give up if the mongrel really appeared to be dead? This mongrel was disturbing Iason's way of life, and if he didn't snap back to his usual self it could jeopardize his position. Raoul merely wanted Iason to succeed as much as he could, that was solely what he wished for his brother.

He waited until Iason had left, before brewing the ingredients together. This mixture would make a person's heart and system slow down to such a pace that it would mimic death, but the body would not suffer any complications. Raoul carefully grinds the roots of the plant, extracting the mush so it can be filtered. With this, he would finally free Iason of his burden, that was his hope.

He falls to the floor, clutching onto the boy while he shakes in agony at the loss of something that he had barely spent enough time with to understand. He hadn't ever been attracted to anyone like he had been to Riki, and now that the boy was dead every possibility would remain a mystery that would haunt him everyday and night along with the memories of the mongrel's suicide. He had spent weeks by the mongrel's side, urging him to wake up and come back to him and now he was gone forever!

"Riki...my beautiful...slave," he breathes brokenly, panic and grief gripping his lungs and stealing his air as his heart feels as if it was being crushed. Was this what it was like to cry without tears? He squeezes the boy's lifeless body in his trembling hands. "Why..." he chokes, "Why have you..." His frame shakes violently as he wraps his body over top of the mongrel's, burying his face into the boy's neck, "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry... Riki!"

He presses the crystal bottle to the mongrel's lips, forcing the liquid down into the boy's system. He sets the empty bottle aside, waiting a moment before resting his hand against the boy's chest to feel the warmth and heartbeat drop. What did Iason see in this...this...thing?

"Riki, you can't die!"

"Enough, Iason!" Raoul bellows, ripping the fellow Prince off of the mongrel, "He's gone! He's dead!"

"No," he chokes, "No, that can't be so! He would have died from the beginning! He can't be dead...he can't!" He scrambles back to Riki, picking the boy up so gently if Raoul didn't know, he would've thought he was Iason's assassinated lover. "Riki..." He drops his head into the boy's chest, holding him so tightly in attempt to grab onto something to keep himself from falling apart.

"Iason, why are you so upset? You are free from the burden! He was a terrible slave!"

The Prince slowly regards him, "You wouldn't understand, Raoul. He was something that I have never had in my life. He was a challenge, a rare treasure and he..." He stares up to the green eyes, "He provoked me in a way I never knew possible. He created new feelings inside of me that I have never felt before. And now, they are gone forever along with him."

Raoul frowns, it was odd that Iason was showing such possessiveness and grief towards the mongrel. And they had never been very expressive, and yet the boy seemed to drag out a side of his brother he'd never seen. And dare he say it, his brother had even seemed happy when the mongrel was behaving. "You really have changed because of it."

"There were so many questions left unanswered, Raoul," he whispers, "And I truly didn't wish to push him so hard. I found myself wanting to simply have him by my side, I...wanted to find out how to give him a better life than what he had."

A moment passes, before Raoul whispers, "If I bring him back to life—"

"Do it!" he instantly begs, "Raoul, if there is any way, I beg you to bring him back to me!"

The green eyed Prince hesitates, "I do not approve of the way you treat your slave. It will only hinder you in the future. You will have to discard him one day when you marry."

"Raoul, please!"

Seeing his brother plead so sincerely with him upset him, he didn't enjoy seeing Iason looking so vulnerable. But it showed just how much he wanted the mongrel. "If you swear to not let him become a future problem for you, I will resurrect him."

—

Warmth envelopes him while a continuous soft rumble meets his ears, he leans into the warmth as his body weakly lies within the hold.

"Open your eyes, Riki," Iason breathes in the boy's ears, before landing a kiss on the forehead. "It's time for you to wake up."

His eyes flutter open slowly, focusing on the blonde hair curtaining the face that stares intently down at him. So he wasn't dead, he wasn't free and he was still a slave to this man. There was nothing left for him, disappointment fills his chest as he realizes he lived solely for this cruel bastard.

"Don't cry, my love," the Prince whispers, kissing away the tears falling from the dark eyes. "I promise to treasure you as long as I live, so please do not toss my heart around anymore..."


	13. The New Circumstances

"Riki," the Prince murmurs, gently kissing the pale lips that can only twitch in response to the touch. He runs a gloved hand through the ebony locks, noticing that they had grown in length while the mongrel was unconscious for the long period of time. The dark eyes peer up at him with question clouding them, as if asking why he was still alive. "Come now, open up," he beckons softly, pressing the spoon with soft food inside the inward curve to the lips that are pressed together, "You need to eat and regain your strength, you've lost so much weight. You are emaciated." He runs his thumb across the lips, watching them faintly twitch underneath the gloved digit. "Your strong figure will waste away if you don't regain the lost nutrients. Raoul kept you alive with whatever he was feeding you, but the liquid could only sustain you enough to keep you from completely fading away."

Riki refuses to part his lips, his dark eyes burning into Iason as they question with lucid hate and disappointment as to why he is living after his attempt to be free. He just wanted to be free with his Clan, wherever their tortured souls had landed, he wanted to be with them. He shakes his head slightly, still scorching the Prince with the inquiry of why he was alive, why he was still the Prince's slave, why he had been chosen, why he even existed anymore. What was he? He was nothing. Slaves were the lowest of shit, and he was a pure mongrel slave. The lowest piece of shit's shit. He didn't want this life anymore. He didn't want to be degraded anymore, his unfailing pride refused to let him fall further. Either he accepted his fate and made the best of it, or he pulled the rope and let the guillotine blade fall.

"Riki..." Iason breathes, pulling the spoon back and setting it down. He moves forward to gently caress the boy's face that is full of sadness and agony, before pulling him close in an embrace. "Please do not make such a face..."

Using all of his sluggish body's current strength, he pushes against the blonde, resisting his attempt to soothe him. No amount of soothing could ease his aching chest. He was officially alone and damned to eternal hell next to the murderer of his people, and he couldn't accept that. Regardless of the way this man made him feel, the sensations he provided, he hadn't wished death upon is friends. If he hadn't left they might all still be alive.

Iason lets go as the mongrel gives a shove, "Riki..." he chokes in a whisper. He tries to understand what's going through the mongrel's mind and figure out how to amend things between them. He truly did care about the well being of his slave, especially now that Riki had started to bring forth emotions that he thought were forever absent in his life. Seeing the look of distress, Iason decides to attempt to ease the mongrel and ultimately divert him from another suicide attempt. "I have a proposition," he starts, gently gripping onto the tanned and frail hand. "I will free and protect your friends if you stay by my side forever." He stares into the dark eyes, "If you refuse, however, I will find all of them and I will make them into slaves. And they will have to endure training that is far more brutal than what you have and will receive."

Riki tenses, his friends were alive? He thought the Prince had killed them off. The moment of relief is wiped away as the proposition becomes more real; he didn't wish this life on anyone, especially his friends. He never wanted his friends to be beaten and harmed as he had been, they all had endured a hard enough life. They didn't need more.

"What will it be? Will you chose the first or the second choice?" the Prince asks. "If you choose the first, I expect you to give up on your fight for freedom. If you resist in any way, I will revoke your friend's freedom and slaughter them in front of you with all different methods and force you to watch until there is no more blood in their bodies." He watches Riki shiver, knowing that he would keep his word on this threat. "But if you want them to live a life similar to yours, I can find people who are far more brutal than I to train your friends to become slaves." Riki shakes his head, his lips trembling in attempt to force out words, but no sound escapes. Iason runs his hand along the boy's skin, "Do you chose to stay by my side?"

Riki bites his lip, his eyes dropping. This was it, huh? This was his defeat? But there was no way the Prince would expect him to just roll over and quit, that would make him the same as the other slaves. So that meant he only had to give up running away—permanently. He could still be himself, minus his freedom and free ways, which would be a challenge considering freedom was all he knew. He inhales deeply, before raising his head and giving a nod to Iason. There was no other choice now, either he gave up his friends to his fate or he sacrificed himself for their freedom. He had betrayed them once, he couldn't do it again.

"Very well," the Prince nods, "I will see to them being freed and put in my protection. They can continue to live as they wish, but I will keep tabs on them. And I shall kill off every single mongrel hunter."

What Riki wanted to know was how Iason had either found or was going to find his Clan? Where did he get information about their whereabouts? They were usually hidden so well that no one could find them. They had their designated spots that no other people went to and only they knew about, so how?

"Hu..." he breathes, the sound barely escaping his throat. Dammit! He needed to know this crucial shit right now! He needed his voice now, but it just wasn't happening!

"Shh," Iason sounds, pressing a gloved finger to the boy's lips, "Don't try and speak."

Riki scowls, hitting the blonde's arm away before feebly yanking the blankets up so he can create a barrier between them. Everything was falling apart; his freedom would now forever be a memory now that his friends were at stake, he couldn't commit suicide again because his friends would then be hunted off and killed because of his selfishness and he would truly be a slave for life.

The Prince emits a soft sigh, he wanted to try and make progress with his slave. He thought they had, but apparently it had all been wishful thinking and nothing more than a charade of some sorts. "I have to go to my office," he informs the boy, rising up from his sitting position. "I'll let one of the servants care for you in my absence, and when I return let us take a bath together."

In response, Riki rolls his eyes while scowling. He didn't have much say in the matter, since he was practically mute and too weak to really fight back against the Prince. His situation was appearing to be grim, and he really didn't enjoy the odds and risks that were stacked against him. But as long as his friends were now safe, he would have to live in this castle until disposed of.

—

He flimsily fights against Iason, causing water to splash out from the deep in ground bathtub. He just wanted to be alone, was that too much to fucking ask? Could he not just be left alone as he grieved the loss of his freedom and life? The Prince had already taken everything, did he not have the freedom to even grieve or miss his old life?

"Behave, Riki," the man orders, holding the boy against his wet body. "This water has special medicinal herbs and minerals that will aid your body in the healing process." The tub was incredibly deep, Iason was sitting on a ledge while holding Riki, and the dark haired boy's head was barely an inch from the surface. If Iason dropped him he'd probably drown he was so weak. "I am disappointed," he whispers, "You barely touched anymore food. Are you trying to starve yourself?"

Riki didn't know how to even try to explain to Iason that he wasn't in the mood to eat. How could he tell the bastard that he wasn't eating because he was depressed? That would be admitting he was weak to the enemy. He shrugs, avoiding the blue eyes and gentle caress to the face. He wanted to be in solitude, and the only way to do that would be to cause trouble so he was locked away, but he was in no shape for a beating.

The Prince sighs, "And now you are acting as if I am Lucifer himself." He runs his hand over the boy's chest, providing gentle caresses to the slick skin. He scowls when Riki flinches away from his touch. "Am I hurting you? Does what I do not feel good?" The dark eyes pierce his, an expression of mixed emotions hitting him hard. He slides his hands on either side of Riki's face, "Why can you not just accept all I have to give you? I am not hurting you, so why must you act this way? Did I not spare your friends and save your life?"

The mongrel scoffs silently, a guise of pain, anger and sadness all migrating over his face in a second. He pushes away firmly from Iason and crawls out of the water and sits on the ledge while panting. His thin figure glistens with the hot water along with his sweat, he was overheating from barely being in the water. He was not used to warm water, he never had that luxury; cold muddy water was the only bathtub he knew. He leans forward, his head in between his knees as he inhales and exhales slowly in attempt to relieve the dizziness.

Water splashes behind him before arms lift him effortlessly, he close his eyes as a pressure builds up in his head as more heat is added to his body. The sound of fabric being wrapped around someone meets his ears a moment before a cool breeze meets his bare flesh. He blinks to see the outside world from the balcony, the lush green vegetation making his chest ache for freedom.

"I apologize, I should not have had the water that hot for your condition," Iason whispers, grabbing a blanket provided by a servant and laying it on the balcony floor. He lowers Riki to the ground, positioning him so he is leaning against the stone beams of the elegant railing.

Riki exhales shakily, blissful relief flowing through every patch of skin touching the cold stone. He leans into the refreshing coolness, his eyes closing to ease his messed up head. The sound of shuffling meets his ears, he opens his eyes to see Iason sitting down next to him while in his robe. He's pulled closer to the blonde's lap, his head lying on the Prince's thighs so he's looking up at him.

"Cover him with that," Iason demands, watching as the servants wrap Riki up in a large wet cloth properly so his body can cool down quicker. He runs his fingers through the wet dark hair, watching the mellow dark eyes stare up at him. "Am I still a devil incarnate for wanting you to be healthy and cared for?"

'That's not it...' Riki denies, his body feeling incredibly lethargic as he starts to get drowsy. 'If you really cared you'd let me go with my friends...then I'd be...'

"Is it so terrible to wish to have you by my side, Riki?" The dark eyes close and open slowly as they start to lose the battle to remain open. "Can you not accept the luxury I offer? Do you really prefer to be in danger everyday of your life? Not knowing if you'll have food or shelter?"

He didn't wish for his life to be that way, but he had grown accustomed to it. That's why it was so damn hard to give up his freedom to make decisions. He used to be able to plot where the next meal came from, what to steal or trade to get it, where to take shelter during storms and the night. Now everything was just provided unconditionally; his shelter, food, and even pleasure. How could he easily accept it? He hadn't done anything to earn it! So how could he just accept it! He hadn't stole, fought or traded anything! He was just automatically given everything because he was a slave. Even if he misbehaved, he wasn't kicked out or starved beyond relief. He always got the necessities provided eventually, and that did not sit well with him.

Not only was he a slave, he was a pampered slave. That was far worse. He'd rather have to fight to survive than have everything handed to him as long as he was a good boy. It made him feel like shit! Like he was a fucking dog that could gain his master's affection by doing as he was told. There was no way in hell he would tolerate that. He could never willingly accept something that he didn't earn with terms of listening to orders and behaving. He was the leader of the pure blood mongrel Clan! He fought for his Clan and provided for them, not have everything handed to him.

The Prince sighs, leaning back against the railing. What did he have to do to make Riki cooperate? He had spent weeks at the bedside of his slave whom he thought was either dying or going to remain asleep forever. But now that he was back in his arms, a warm relief of some kind had replaced his aching in his chest. Why couldn't his mongrel just stay in his arms like this perpetually?

—

"He's holed himself up in the back room, Master," Jak explains, trying his best to not shake in fear of what the Prince might do to him as he could not stop Riki's temper tantrum.

"The back room?" Iason repeats, holding the boy's gaze as he looks up from the scroll on his desk. "You mean the room that I punished him with by locking him away in it?" He had been so shaken from being locked up, why would he willingly go back into that room?

"Yes, Master."

—

"Riki," the Prince calls while stepping into his bedroom, his eyes fall on the bed which has been stripped of a thick quilt. Not finding the mongrel he realizes the story is true, Riki really did lock himself away. Iason clicks his tongue, heading towards the ajar door that leads to the dark room for punishment. The light from the room shines in, helping his eyes adjust and find the heap of fabric huddled in the corner. "Riki, why are you in here?"

Riki doesn't budge, not even acknowledging the man in the doorway. He stares blankly at the wall, continuing his silent protest and grieving. His chest was tight, his heart strings taut like the strings of an instrument. During his reflecting, he recalled the fact that his friends might be alive, but his mate was unknown. Guy had been injured, but he did not know how badly after he passed out. What if Guy had died and he didn't know? Judging from the blood on the carpet, he did not think he was alive anymore. Now he was grieving the loss of his mate, freedom and life.

"Riki, I insist you get out of this room," Iason neutrally instructs, taking a step inside and toward the mongrel, "You haven't eaten, you haven't drank anything, and you need to move or else your bones and body will disintegrate further." He gently places a gloved hand on the covered shoulder, only to pull back as its hit away with force. The dark eyes glisten with fury as the mongrel bares his teeth at him, a small painful whisper of an unknown word leaving its throat.

Iason takes a small step back, a bit startled by the anger of the slave. He watches as the boy covers himself back up with the blanket over his nude body, once again ignoring his existence. 'So he's sulking?' He hesitates, but decides to let the boy have awhile alone to accept his fate.

Surprised by the sudden absence of his captor, Riki turns his head slightly to see if Iason really did leave. The slightly ajar door lets in enough light to verify he was indeed alone. He was grateful for the time alone, but at the same time it was like a kiss of death. His mind kept driving forward on an endless loop of misery, everything replaying and repeating in his brain.

—

"Riki, you must eat something!" Iason growls, barging into the room to find the boy frozen in his position. He hadn't moved an inch since they last saw each other, and it was already early in the evening. He grabs onto the mongrel, who immediately starts to struggle pitifully against him. "Enough of this, Riki!"

Riki tries to fight back harder, but only succeeds in getting himself into an embarrassing position so it appears he's a baby in the Prince's arms. Finding no other way to fight back, he buries his teeth into the Prince's flesh.

"You...!" the Prince growls, trying to rip the boy off as he feels blood start to flow from the wound. He only succeeds in wiggling the mongrel's teeth further into his skin. Using his one hand he yanks brutally on Riki's hair, while his other hand is wrapped around the boy's body. Riki's head snaps upward as a mangled cry of pain escapes his throat.

In a matter of seconds his back meets the bed, he stares up at the furious blue eyes. "Hah..." he sounds, struggling against the strong grip as the hand grips painfully onto his chin.

"You want to go back to that room so badly? Fine, I'll send you back with cuts and bruises to keep you company."

—

He throws his crystal container against the wall, watching the crimson wine splash and then drip down the wooden panel. He holds back a cry of anger, his teeth gnashing together as he recalls the condition he left his slave in.

He didn't want to do that, he had wanted to feed Riki, get him strong and back to normal. Yet he ended up punishing him brutally, regardless of his condition. But what was to be expected? The mongrel damn near ripped out a chunk of him!

He angrily plunks down in his chair, resting his head in his hands as the recollection floods his mind. Why did this happen? Better yet, why was he so upset about it happening? He had done his job as Master and put the slave in his place! So why was he upset that it had been done?

"Trouble with your mongrel again?" Prince Raoul calmly questions, strolling in while observing the crystal mess scattered on the floor. "What is it now? Is it..." His green eyes zone in on the bloody bite mark, sparking disgust and anger, "Like a rabid dog."

"Please Raoul, not right now."

Raoul sits down in the chair in front of the desk, emitting a sigh. "You really do not have any time for this, Iason. We are on the edge of a war and you need to be prepared to lead the executions."

"I am aware, Raoul," Iason hisses, finally raising his head to pierce his blue eyes at his brother. "He is not affecting my work, so there is no reason for you to complain about such a thing."

"True," he agrees, "However, you used to barely see your slaves until it arrived. You used to spend nearly all your day doing work and now you run to it every free chance you have."

"My work and private life are not interfering with each other, Raoul. As I have said, my work is nothing short of perfect as it has always been and will always be. Are we clear?"

He raises his hands, palm up, "Yes, yes. But there is also the matter of you finding a wife..."

—

Hurts, everything hurts again. Every bone in his body aches as he lays on the floor while wrapped in the blanket. He should be furious, but he was almost lifeless with fatigue. There was something that also confused him, after everything, the Prince wrapped him up in the blanket and left him. But he could swear there was an expression―regret?― that crossed his face. What the fuck? Don't make that face after you beat me!

Tears drip from his face, his strangled sobs echoing off of the walls. He didn't even care anymore, what could he care about? There was nothing left to care about. Everything he had grown to care about was set free, but forever out of his grasp. His friends would never know of the sacrifice that he had made for them to be free, unless told, which he doubted would happen.

How would the Clan survive now? He was no longer the leader, so how would they survive, where would they go?

The door opens, causing him to tense up on instinct. But he relaxes when he sees a smaller familiar figure enter. "Ja..." he chokes, trying to wipe his embarrassing tears away.

"Oh Riki..." he breathes sadly, hurrying over to him with a bucket full of water. He kneels before him, unwrapping the blanket to reveal the damage done to the poor mongrel's body. He wrings out the rag, gently applying it to the wounds. "Why...did this happen...after all..." he bites back his words, continuing to quickly cleanse the wounds. He catches Riki's gaze, "I'm sorry if I'm hurting you...I'm not actually supposed to be here. We were forbidden to help you, but I couldn't let you suffer." He looks over his shoulder, reaching into a pocket of his pants and pulls out a slice of bread, pressing it to Riki's lips. "I know you're trying to starve yourself, but please eat something. For me, please?"

A pang of gratitude hits his tight chest, this kid was risking being killed like the last servant who went against the Prince just to help him. That would take a lot of balls to do. He weakly reaches out his hand, ruffling the boy's hair as his gesture of thanks before taking hold of the bread and slowly eating it.

Jak smiles softly, "I'm just glad you're alive." He dunks the rag again, "I know you're probably wishing you were dead right now, but it will get better."

Riki snorts, rolling his eyes at the kid.

"I mean it," he insists, gliding the cloth along Riki's chest, "You don't know, but when you were asleep for those long weeks, Master came to check on you whenever he was able to." Riki's freezes, why would he do that? He couldn't understand this man! "I've never seen him so upset and in so much...pain...in all the years I've served him." Jak stares into Riki's eyes, "You won't believe me right now, but he truly does care about you, Riki."

The sound of another door opening causes Jak to jolt, he wraps Riki up again before grabbing his bucket and rag and dashing out of the room. Riki tenses, listening to see if he got away. No sounds of yelling or screaming meet his ears, so he relaxes. There was so much he wanted to know, to understand, but it would have to wait. He had gotten his wish for solitude and use it now to rid himself of his grief.

—

"Enough of this," Iason snaps, hurrying into his room and heading towards the back room. It had been two days since Riki had been locked up and he wasn't ready to lose him to starvation. He rips open the door, marching in towards the heap and throwing him over his shoulder. He tightens his grip as Riki struggles, before walking out and throwing him down on the bed to examine him. "You're going to eat and sleep with me tonight. You've had two days to sulk, now enough with your foolishness."

A servant brings forth a tray of food, setting it down next to the Prince before bowing and leaving. Riki inhales the scent of the delicious temptations, he was going to die of starvation soon if he didn't eat. The Prince grabs the chalice on the tray, lifting it to his mouth and drinking before approaching Riki and smashing their mouths together. Riki weakly struggles as the liquid is forced down his mouth, but stops as the fluid quenches his thirst and he greedily accepts more. Iason takes another swig, before transferring it to Riki by the same means until the chalice is empty.

Iason purposely prolongs the kiss, leaving his mongrel breathless and panting as he pulls away with satisfaction. He grabs onto the spoon, dipping it into the warm soup and blowing on it before bringing it to Riki's lips. "Eat or I will force you," he demands, pushing it into Riki's mouth. To his surprise, the mongrel doesn't really fight, but instead reaches up to grab the spoon and take it. Iason pauses, before moving the tray closer for Riki and watches him dip the spoon in and eat on his own. 'Thank God!' he exhales inwardly, watching his shaky mongrel continue to slowly eat. Granted, he was irked by Riki not allowing him the task of feeding him, but he would let it slide if it meant his mongrel would eat and regain his strength. He leans back in relief, waving for a servant to bring him a chalice of wine. He watches as Riki continues to eat the soup, not moving or doing anything in fear that he might spook the mongrel and have him stop eating again. If he kept feeding Riki the soup and dishes infused with the mixtures Raoul had added to help him recover quicker, the mongrel would be back to normal in a few days. That was his wish.

—

He gently pulls Riki closer, so they are spooning together with their bodies flush. He rests his hand against the mongrel's chest, relishing the feeling of the warmth and steady heartbeat that meets his skin. It thrilled him really, to have his mongrel back in his arms and conscious, he'd taken the stubborn boy any day over the near dead one he'd been before.

Riki tries to wiggle away, a bit of hidden fear coursing through his veins as the Prince holds him from behind. He couldn't take any fingering assault to his rear end right now, he wouldn't be able to fight with his sore and tired body.

"Relax, slave," Iason whispers grumpily, running his hand gently around the smooth skin of the boy's chest. "I merely want to hold you while we sleep. I will not do anything, so stop struggling and relax."

Hesitantly, he waits for several moments to see if the man is true to his word. When no actions are taken he relaxes slightly, shamefully enjoying the warm touch of Iason as he continues running his hand along his skin in a soothing motion. He scolds himself for not fighting against the touch, but he was in no shape to even think of trying to fight again.

"Good night, Riki," the Prince rumbles in his ear, sending a shiver down his spine at how rough and deep the voice was. Just how much longer would this whole thing last? How much more of his shit would the Prince put up with before he freed him?

Iason eyes up all of his servants, "I demand the guilty party step forward, now."

The servants shift uncomfortably at the gaze of the blue eyes, waiting for someone to step forward and accept responsibility for doing something they were not supposed to do.

"Riki's wounds were treated, would the person responsible step forward or I will beat you all within an inch of your lives," he threatens, watching as no one dares to step forward and fess up.

Finally, Jak steps forward from the line, not meeting the Prince's gaze. "It was me, Master."

"You're the one who treated Riki's wounds when I told everyone to not touch him," he coldly reminds, "Why would you go against my orders for a mongrel slave?"

Jak gulps, "I...I didn't want him to suffer and get sick again."

"I see," Iason notes, staring at the other servants, "Leave." All the servants immediately hurry out of the room, leaving Jak all alone. Daryl tries to go back, but another one tugs him away while hissing at him to leave now. Iason stands up, slowly approaching the trembling servant staring at the floor, he circles around him. "You purposely disobeyed my order for the sake of helping the mongrel?"

"I did, Master," he admits shakily, "I...c-cleaned his wounds and fed him some bread when I went to check on him while I was left alone to clean the bathroom and servants quarters."

"You fed and cleaned him?" Iason frigidly repeats.

"I...I did," Jak nods, bracing for the impact of a whip or blade to injure him. Instead, a gloved hand grabs his chin in a gentle and firm touch, bringing his eyes up to see the Prince's blue ones.

"You disobeyed me," he starts, scaring Jak to his whits with his tone, "But you did it with the best intentions. And I cannot punish you for doing your job of caring for my slave in my absence."

"M-Master..."

"I will have to punish you not confessing to your actions, but I commend you for doing your job and keeping Riki alive in my absence," Iason praises, letting go of the petrified Jak. "As reward for your loyalty to your job I will make you along with Daryl my slave's main care givers."

"T-thank you, Master," Jak sputters, falling to his knees.

—

After three days of isolation, Riki was itching to get out of the room. And when Iason had mentioned they would be having breakfast together, he was partially grateful as well as angry. He didn't want to be paraded down the halls like a brand new horse, it was horrible to have them stare. And then be forced to sit on the floor at Iason's feet was just as humiliating.

"Come, Riki," Iason commands, waiting for him at the door.

'I'm naked...' Riki hisses internally, 'You can't be seriously wanting to take me out naked...'

Iason clicks his tongue, striding forward to grab Riki by his collar and tug him forward, before grabbing onto the boy's hand. "I said come, Riki!" He pulls Riki out of the room, leading him down the hallway.

Riki struggles, not enjoying the stares of the servants who see him. Iason stops, pulling him flush against his clothed body. He pushes against him, trying to get away and back into the safety of the room. He'd take the skimpy outfit from the ball over being naked!

"Are you embarrassed, Riki?" the Prince whispers dangerously, piercing Riki with a heated blue gaze.

Riki bites his lip, staring away from Iason, but quickly wanders back as a noble raises an eyebrow at the spectacle. His dark eyes fall to the ground in defeat, he was still not completely back to normal and he didn't want to have his friends hunted down if he ran back to the room.

Iason smirks, pulling something out a pocket in his outfit, "This will help."

Riki panics, his vision disappearing as a blindfold is tied around his head. He tries to tug it off, but his hands are secured in the Prince's vice grip. He tries to tug away, but then feels something else bind his hands; leather wraps secure his hands, connected by chains. "N...o...!" he chokes, trying to get back to the privacy of the room.

"Come Riki," Iason demands, tugging him down the hall.

Riki stumbles after him, blind to the people staring at him―if there were anymore. Iason tugs him along for what seems like a very long time, until he's finally pushed down to a carpet ground. He immediately tries to get up, but hands gently push him down.

"Relax, Riki," the man rumbles, running a gloved hand from his face, then down his back that sends shivers down his spine. He tenses up more, his bound hands suddenly connected to something so he couldn't move. Iason runs his thumb along the trembling lips as the mongrel tugs frantically, afraid that he is either going to be executed or have a worse fate. "Riki," he repeats gently, caressing the boy's face in his hands, "Nothing is wrong, so relax."

'How can I trust you, how can I relax!' Something sweet meets his lips before being put into his mouth, he briefly panics, but ceases after the familiar taste of fruit fills his mouth. He strains his hearing to see if any of the other nobles at the table comment, but no other sounds other than Iason meet his ears. Which scares him more, where the hell was he?

"Do you honestly think I'd let Raoul get an eye full of your beauty, Riki?" the Prince finally asks, feeding Riki another piece of fruit. He places the small piece into the boy's mouth before bringing his own lips to the mongrels and pushing the fruit deeper inside with his tongue. "You're mine, Riki." He pulls off the blindfold, allowing Riki to finally see his surroundings.

He wasn't in the dinning area, but a small well lit room. He stares up at Iason who is calmly looking down at him from a throne like chair, before his eyes wander around the luxurious room. The walls are covered in gold plated panels, shiny woods and art work; the ceiling is a piece of art, a painting of a beautiful blonde angel with a black beast by his side; and the floor is marble and red carpet. In confusion, he looks back up to Iason, more relaxed now that he knows he's not on display.

"This is the King's private room, one of many that exist in this castle," Iason calmly explains, "It is not mine as of yet, but it will be one day. What do you think?" He watches the mongrel reach out and stroke the gold piece of the chair. "Do you like the art in here?"

Riki's leans back to stare at the ceiling again, that angel looked an awful lot like Iason, but not quite. It was weird and unsettling about how the angel's blue eyes pierced him just like Iason's. And what was the animal beside it? It looked like a really large wolf with brown eyes mixed with some other animal and it had wings...

"Riki," the man calls, causing his head to snap back to the voice. Fruit meets his lips again, finding their way inside his mouth with the guidance of Iason's fingers. "I brought you here to speak with you in private." He picks up a biscuit, guiding it to Riki's mouth, "I have freed your friends and placed them in an area secured by my guards who frequent the sector."

A weight seems to lift off of Riki's chest, his friends were finally safe. Now he just had to keep his end of the deal up, which annoyed him but it was a must. If he slipped up... He accepts the biscuit, currently annoyed the Prince was treating him like a dog!

"I have executed the mongrel hunters," he continues, adding silently, 'Minus the ones under my command.' He reaches for another biscuit, "So now your friends are safe." He hands the biscuit to Riki, who confusedly takes it and eats it slowly, expecting him to force feed him. "But there is something else I'd like to talk about. Currently there is a war just about to break, and I am in charge of a large portion of it." His gaze drops to Riki's, "Therefore, I need you to behave and stay in the castle or you risk being killed. And if you die, I will kill off all your friends as well."

Riki gulps down the food, his mind wondering who the war was between. This family ruled the majority of the lands, the next kingdom was a months journey away and they were crumbling due to famine and plague. Everyone seemed to be moving into this kingdom's domains, which was part of the reason why it was becoming harder for his Clan to get by.

Iason lowers a chalice for Riki to grab onto a drink from on his own, "Do you understand, Riki? This is a tense time in our kingdom and it needs to be dealt with quickly and efficiently. There is no room for error and if you are the cause of error, the Queen will kill you off." Riki tenses, that bitch was still out to get him?! "She has accepted your existence and has said she will not interfere, but ultimately during war I am her pawn and if you cause me to mess up it makes the Queen appear at fault. Which gives her the right to kill you as punishment."

Riki nods, hiding his fear and taking a sip from the chalice. He couldn't cause trouble, not while everything was so tense, not while his friends had just gotten freedom and protection.

The Prince reaches down, gently running his hand along Riki's face. "I cannot afford to have anyone else know of your existence during war," he whispers, "I cannot risk having someone try to use you as bait to kill me."

Riki shivers, remembering the noble's household who he attempted suicide in. Had they spread the rumor and it was too late?

"I will protect you as much as I can, Riki," Iason assures gently, "But you have to play your part in this deal as well, or it will not turn out correctly. Do you understand what is at stake for you?"

Riki nods again, handing back the empty chalice. He knew what was at risk, and he wasn't a fool, he wouldn't do anything that would risk his friends being killed for no reason.

"Good boy."


	14. With Bow And Arrow

"Our castle is about to get very crowded, Riki," the Prince sighs, leaning back in the lukewarm tub with the mongrel in his arms. "Our castle is the largest and most secure, and during war all of our family come to reside in the castle. You do not know, but I have four aunts. They are Her Majesty's sisters."

Riki peers up at him sleepily, why was it about to get crowded with four couples? That was only eight people, and this castle was so big it looked like it could house twenty just from the amount of doors he saw down the main hallway. He's about to ask why, but his throat immediately scolds him for even thinking of trying to speak by hurting profusely.

Iason reaches up, gently stroking the boy's neck with his wet hand. "Them coming would not fill up the castle, but," he rumbles in the boy's ear, "Their eleven sons will."

Riki tenses up, say what? Eleven sons? Eleven more fucking Princes to beware of? He stares up into Iason's eyes, pleading for him to say he's joking, panic blazes up in his chest at the thought of having to watch out for eleven Princes instead of two! And...that meant that the Queen's sisters were Princesses! Oh God no! No! No! No!

"Do not fret, my dark beauty," the Prince chuckles, feeling the mongrel start to shake in his arms. He plants a kiss on the back of the boy's neck, adoring the feeling of him tensing up and shivering from the contact. Riki was so sensitive, and that didn't have anything to do with the training that Iason had given him for being a slave. No, Riki's body was made for and readily accepted pleasure, as long as one kept going even when the foul mouthed boy protested. Oh how he wanted to break his oath and fuck Riki, he didn't want a damn whore of a wife! He wanted this wanton and beautiful youth as his partner for life!

—

He moans and wiggles under the man's grasp, a wave of ecstasy coursing through his veins as his erogenous zone is caressed. "Hnn..." he moans while biting his lips his the Prince teases his nipples, trying to move away, but only succeeds in arching into the touch.

"You're so sensitive..." the Prince rumbles, pulling the mongrel closer to him while sliding a leg between the tanned ones. He rubs the boy's lower regions, delighting as another moan of pleasure and protest escapes the sleepy and docile mongrel. "I'm sorry, I'll stop," he agrees, sliding his leg out but continues to gently run his hand along the boy's chest. "Sleep, my love, we have much to do in the morning."

—

"We need to move all the ammunition and weapons to the front barracks before our guests arrive," Iason orders to the team, analyzing the documents and plans that are spread out on his desk. "Have the horses taken out one last time before leaving them in the stalls."

"What about your horse, my Lord?"

The Prince stops, his mind wandering to the day Riki and he went out on a horse ride, "Leave him in the side stall so he's easy to access and don't take him out with the others, I'll do that myself."

The men nod, both teams dispersing while another man enters the doorway and knocks. "Your Highness? I have the reports you requested."

"Very good, bring them," Iason demands, not looking up from scribbling down some notes on the paper. The man come forward and sets the papers down on a spot that's free on the desk, before turning and leaving. Not skipping a beat, Iason picks up the paper and analyzes the food ration and stocks. There was plenty this year because of a bountiful harvest, so there was no fear of starvation among his soldiers and household. Satisfied with all of his progress, he sets his papers down and is about to leave when a figure enters.

"Your Highness," Katze softly calls, brushing his knuckles against the door.

"Ah, Katze, what have you found out?"

He holds up a thick stack of a mixture of papers, some thick and some thin, "A good deal of information, your Highness."

—

"Your Highness, please let us accompany you!" the Captain cries out frantically, scrambling after the Prince on the horse.

"We will be fine, we are staying in the boundaries," he assures, wrapping his arm around Riki. He gently taps the horse in the side, sending him off on a wild gallop to the gate with a loud whinny.

Riki leans forward, taking in all the air and sunlight that manages to shine through the cloud cover. Yes, yes! Outside! Freedom! It was so good to not be crammed in that room anymore. He reclines into Iason, afraid that the speed will make him fall off if he tries to lean forward too much again. He feels the vibration of a chuckle come from the Prince and scowls, hating himself for showing his excitement. Plastering on an unhappy expression, he subtly admires the view and intakes the fresh air. The route they were taking was different, instead of a forest, they were nearing an orchard next to a maze with a large stone structure peeking out of the center. The area had a mystical aura about it, a light fog covered the area and the clouded skies added an ominous touch. The scent of flowers suddenly tickles Riki's nose, he had never really gotten many opportunities to smell the delicate plants, it was a bit overwhelming to sniff all the different aromas.

The Prince pulls the reins and stops the horse, sliding off gracefully first before reaching up his gloved hand to Riki. He helps the reluctant mongrel slide down, leaving him to approach the orchard and labyrinth of hedges. Iason leads the horse over to a pen made of posts off to the side. He removes the reins before letting the stallion loose within the area.

The devil inside Riki smirks, seeing his opportunity, he bolts into the entrance of the maze. He runs as if there are demons chasing him, making several turns until he ends up in an alcove made of a rose bush with a stone bench off to the right side. Panting heavily, he plunks down on the bench and strains his ears to hear if the Prince is coming after him.

He's not disappointed, after a few moments the sound of heavy and fast footsteps hitting the stone covered ground meets his ears. Finally he catches a glimpse of the blonde hair before seeing the man straight on.

"You dare make me run," the Prince scowls with a huff, striding over to the mongrel in two steps. Riki was the only one that could make his heart clench with fear and his feet move quicker, he hadn't chased after something since he was little. Heck, he hadn't felt any fear since his first time going into battle and today he didn't flinch when he went to war! He grasps onto the boy's chin firmly, staring down at the playful dark eyes, "You thought you could get away, little wolf cub?"

Riki smirks, listening to the usually composed man pant from his rushing to get to him. He wanted to reach out and touch the man's chest to see if he even had a heart, and if it was beating faster like his. But he reigns his urge, refusing to act on it because he refused to touch his captor willingly, his pride would not stand for it!

"Shall we go for a stroll now that we are here?" Iason asks, reaching to take Riki's hand again.

Riki stands up on his own, rejecting the offer and heads to the exit of the small side area. The Prince falls in step beside him, taking the lead by just a fraction to remind Riki of his position. Amusement flickers over his usually stoic features as he stops while Riki halts and stares at a flower, oh how he loved this mongrel! He was so stubborn and trying so hard to hide the fact he was enjoying this! Iason loved how Riki fought with himself, refused to let him see how much he was having a good time or grateful for being outside.

A drop of water lands on his cheek, causing him to glance up at the sky to see the thick dark clouds overhead. Several more drops start to fall, darkening his black cloak to an even darker shade. "Riki, we need to go find a spot to take shelter." He watches the mongrel stare at the crimson camellia, not reacting at all to his words. The rain starts pouring down, glistening on the mongrel's exposed skin as he stands there in a loose, dark tan colored, sleeveless top with strings fastening the v neck opening. Iason reaches out, gently taking the boy's wrist, "Riki," he whispers.

Riki blankly looks up at him, then blinks and cringes as if only just realizing it was raining and that the Prince was talking to him. In a matter of seconds he finds himself beneath the Prince's cloak and trying to keep up with the pace of the man. He just blindly follows the movements, almost falling before the Prince wraps his arm around him and guides him along. Soon something other than gravel meets the underside of his short boots, and the Prince releases him from the security of the cloak. He watches as the Prince takes off the soaking wet cloak and gloves before tossing them on a stone bench within the safe haven of the large stone gazebo, his eyes frozen on the messy wet locks that fall gracefully on either side of the beautiful face.

"Damn, I had hoped it would not rain today..." the Prince cusses softly. He then scowls as he observes his long sleeved, cream colored tunic that is drenched and stuck to him. He peels the clothing off, chucking it off to the side as well.

Riki's breath catches softly, the Prince looked like a sculpted god with his perfectly toned body and pale skin glistening with the rain. A bit of envy at the perfection creeps over him, of all the people he had to be captured by it was a good looking one. Dammit! That made it harder to want to leave!

"Take off your top," the Prince grins, swooping in towards Riki to peel the wet clothing from the tanned skin. Riki struggles, but his top is already gone the time he snaps back to reality. The mongrel flinches slightly as Iason runs his hand down the boy's chest, coming to a stop just above his pants, "You are so beautiful..."

Uncomfortable with the touch and comment, Rik shies away by taking a step back. But soon is pressed against the Prince's slick body, causing a wave of panic to flow through him. The Prince wraps his arms around the boy's waist, securing him in a vice grip. "St..." Riki chokes weakly, trying to wiggle out of the hold.

"You're cold, I'm only trying to warm you up, slave," the man rumbles in his ear, using his force around the mongrel to slide their wet bodies together. A voice in his head warns him that he is breaking the rules yet again by doing this with his mongrel, but once again he ignores it. To hell with the rules, this felt so good, just the feeling of the mongrel's wet and warm skin sliding along his made his flesh tingle. He had waited months to have his mongrel back in his arms and he planned to do as he damn well pleased with him to make up for the lost time!

Riki lets a moan slip, his overly sensitive body greedily accepting the stimulation against his wishes. Fuck, fuck, fuck! He was supposed to hate this man, never obey and even try to kill him to gain freedom! Why...w...why... was it so hard...to...

"Such an enchanting sound that was," Iason muses, sliding his knee in between Riki's and pushing upwards to gently rub the bulging in the fabric. "It's music to my ears..."

"Ka...ah...!" the mongrel gasps, trying to fight his way out of the hold. He didn't want to be fingered and played with! Regardless of what his body wanted, he didn't want to be treated like this! Oh God! How could this man take him so high? This was nothing compared to when Guy and he had fooled around...

Iason pulls the boy free, gently pumping the boy's slick erection in his hands. "Yes...your body is much more honest..." he whispers.

Riki's knees start to give out, but Iason catches him, before slowly lowering themselves to the floor. In a blur, he pulls off Riki's pants, before tugging the boy's legs on either side of his body and trapping him with one arm. He continues to gently, but quickly pump the boy's penis that is almost pressed against his stomach, watching the slave struggle to hold back his moans and fight off the pleasure burning within him.

"Come for me," he rumbles in the boy's ear, teasing the secreting slit before giving another aggressive pump. He watches as the mongrel stops biting his lip, his face finally breaking into an expression of pure pleasure as he cries out while shuddering violently in the Prince's arms.

Riki slumps against the Prince while panting, his heart pounding so hard in his chest he swears that the man can feel it as their flesh sticks together. After a few breaths he tries to pull away, but the Prince holds him still in a gentle hug. In confusion, he looks up to the blue eyes, shocked by the how calm and almost content they appear.

"Just stay like this," he whispers, planting a kiss on the boy's forehead, "It will soon be so crowded and busy in the castle, so just stay like this while it's still quiet and calm."

He was still cold, and he knew that if he pulled away he'd probably freeze. Iason was somehow always warm, so there was no point in pulling away and freezing when he could just sit still and wait it out. There was also the lingering fear in the back of Riki's mind, reminding him that if he disobeyed too much the Prince might seek retaliation on his friends. He huffs in annoyance, but leans into the Prince, turning his face away so the man couldn't see his expression or that fact he closed his eyes. Maybe it was because his body hadn't fully recovered, but he felt extremely sleepy and dare he say it...relaxed, calm, safe? He hadn't felt this way in a long time and it eased him into the Prince's arms more with each moment.

—

He opens his eyes to see that the rain has subsided and the thick layer of darkness has faded to a light grey shade. His ears pick up distinct sounds of people approaching, pulling him out of his slumber. Within moments he sees his team of search guards hurrying towards the gazebo, acting as if he were in urgent need of help.

"Your Highness!" one shouts worriedly while coming forward to the gazebo, his eyes freezing on the mongrel and him topless and together.

With the wave of his hand, he silences them all to prevent them from waking his sleeping wolf cub. "What is it?" he whispers, turning his head away from Riki in attempt to not wake him.

"Y—you were absent for so long, we were worried," the guard whispers, "I apologize, but we can no longer have you out of the castle's protection. We are divided into smaller groups to prepare and are unable to properly guard you if an attack does commence."

A deep sigh reverberates from his chest, he wanted to stay curled up with Riki forever. But alas, with the pending war on their hands he knew it was in his best interest to be under the proper protection. "Very well, leave us. Bring my horse to the entrance and I shall return."

"Very good, my Lord."

"Oh, and one more thing."

"Yes, my Lord?"

He pierces the man with his frozen blue eyes, "If you so much as utter a breath of what you've seen to anyone, I'll kill your family."

—

"Mm..." he moans, feeling hands lift him up before he's set down. He tears his eyelids open, seeing blonde strands hovering over him before he closes his eyes again. The softness of a bed beneath him tugs him back to unconsciousness, earning a chuckle that vaguely meets his ears before he's gone back to dreamland.

Iason brushes his hand against the tanned cheek, "Wake up this time," he whispers, leaning in to kiss the boy's forehead before backing away and heading for the door. Jak walks out from the other room, stopping him from exiting, "Take care of him."

—

"Everything's prepared?" Iason confirms, glancing up briefly from his documents to the servant who enters his room. He scribbles a few more numbers and notes on the papers in front of him before transferring them to the other stash. He had finally completed all of it!

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Still hard at work?" a voice rings through the air, causing the servant to bow deeply and the blonde to look up.

"Mother..."

"Everything is just fine, Iason, you can be at ease now," she smiles, watching her son finally relax as he's relieved from his duties. "I received word that everyone will be arriving tomorrow. I'll take over now."

"Thank you, Mother," he nods, grateful that the worst is finally over—for now. He had spent too many hours locked in his room as he sorted out many things. "Let me know if there is anything else you require of me."

She smiles, hovering in the doorway to give a small wave before disappearing.

Iason finally leans back in his chair, his blue eyes taking in the huge stack of papers that Katze had bound together. This was everything he could find about Riki, the mongrel clan and history of the mongrels, and there might be more! He wanted to know everything about Riki! The key to understanding Riki was understanding his people, his family, his background, and what he had been through. Wearily, he tugs the binding open, pulling back the protective cover to the first page.

—

Iason slides the ring back on Riki's finger, before standing back to admire his beautiful mongrel. "You look beautiful, Riki..." he whispers, standing back to appraise the cream colored tunic with a ruffled opening, baggy sleeves with a ruffled edges; short black pants encase his round ass, tempting Iason to give it a squeeze; his soft leather shoes without a scuff and then his ring and collar showed just who owns him.

Riki grasps the collar and glares, was this really necessary? He thought that by now he wouldn't be expected to wear this!

"It's just until they see you," the Prince assures, "Once they know you are my slave and not anything else, we can take it off."

Riki scowls, emitting an grumble of disgust at being called a slave. He wasn't a slave, no matter what!

"Come, Riki, they are here," the Prince beckons unrequited, snaking an arm around the mongrel and guiding him towards the door. He positions Riki about 6 inches away from him, letting him know that that is the appropriate distance if not a bit more apart. He wanted Riki to stay close with him, but he knew that the mongrel had pride that prevented him from being the proper slave. But hey, he didn't mind Riki being that way, it was the reason he had begun to become so attached and focused on him. How much longer could his pride last? What level was his pride at? Had he lost some or was only being docile for awhile?

"Your Highness, your guests have just arrived," a servant informs him as they head down the stairs to stand by the other Prince and the Queen at the door.

Prince Raoul rolls his eyes at the mongrel, "Really now? Is that necessary? I didn't bring my—"

"Silence."

The large carved wood doors open slowly, revealing a bunch of elegantly dressed males and some females. Riki cringes hard, so many Princes. So much blonde hair, but none was as pale and perfect as Iason's. A flurry of nausea attacks his stomach, this could end so badly...

"Maia, my dearest sister, how are you?" the Queen smiles, walking up to hug the lady dressed in a bright purple poofy dress and white gloves; her light brown hair is tied up in a fancy knot with blue jewels embedded inside.

"It's been so long since we saw each other," the lady known as Maia answers in a velvety and fragile voice while hugging the Queen. She pulls back and chuckles, "Oh how I've missed you."

"Yes, it's always a pleasure you see you, your Majesty," the man with sandy blonde hair beside her smiles, stepping forward to kiss the Queen's hand.

"Oh, how lovely to see you too, Robert!"

Four blonde men follow behind them, all dressed in different colored cloaks that hide the majority of their outfits underneath. They all bow to the Queen in a practiced unison, before one steps forward.

"Aunty," the first blonde smiles, stepping forward to hug the Queen.

"Ah, Iason my dearest nephew!" Maia exclaims, stepping forward to the Prince to embrace him in a gentle hug. Riki steps back as she approaches, unsure if he's supposed to be here, he steps to Iason's right to hide within the space of him and Raoul who is talking to Robert.

"Hello, Aunt Maia, it is a pleasure seeing you again after such a long time."

She cups his face, "You look so much like your father, oh how proud he would be. You are going to make a handsome King soon!"

"Thank you," he politely answers, giving her a soft smile. Aunt Maia was probably his favorite, something about her made him happy. Maybe it was because she had such a bright spirit?

"And who's this handsome man behind you?" she asks softly, not trying to draw attention to the mongrel and embarrass him.

"This is my slave, Riki," Iason answers, motioning for Riki to come closer. He obeys and sheepishly comes forward, a bit afraid of the new crowd. But ultimately, he stands beside Iason while looking at the floor.

"Such a handsome thing!" she grins, leaning closer to Iason, "You got your hands on a beauty! Don't lose em!"

Iason smiles, yes, Aunt Maia was indeed his favorite.

"Ah, Iason my boy, how are you?" Robert asks, stepping forward to shake the Prince's hand.

"I am very well, Uncle Robert, how are you fairing?"

Riki slinks back a bit, zoning out of the conversations. One after the other, blondes, Princesses, and Princes step forward to talk with and greet the Queen, Raoul and then Iason. As Iason said, there were eleven other blonde men whom he assumed were the Princes. And aside from Maia were three other ladies. Two who looked identical, minus their hair styles and eye color; one had blonde hair that was braided with jewels embedded while the other was up in an elegant looking bun and one had brown eyes and the other had hazel. The one with blonde braided hair wearing a bright baby blue dress had two blonde men following behind her rough looking husband who had brown hair and a mustache. As opposed to the other lady dressed in a bright green who had a husband with light brown hair that was styled off to the side and looked rather handsome, and she had three blonde men following her. Then finally there was one last women, she was shorter than the rest by half a foot. She was wearing a crimson red dress, and her sandy blonde hair was tied back in a similar, but nonetheless elegant knot that Maia had. She was followed by a husband with sandy blonde hair that was short and he had a rather handsome face, and following him were two blonde men.

After they've made their way through the introductions, they all scurry away like mice to their rooms. Iason finally turns to face Riki, who is ready to sit on the floor he was so sick of standing. He slouches, debating if he can sit or not.

"Tiring, isn't it?" he chuckles, seeing the mongrel's droopy figure. He gently pulls him close, "Come, let us go to my room until dinner. They will all be trying to settle in so there is time to spare."

—

He sits silently at the Prince's feet, noticing that the table had been expanded to fit the number of guests at the table. It seemed like all he could see was a sea of blonde hair. After the toast and blessings, they start to eat. Riki stares at the ground, noticing the whispers and stares in his general direction. Man, it never would stop would it?

"I'll introduce you to everyone," the Prince whispers so only Riki can hear him. "That lady over there," he motions to Maia, "Is Princess Maia, and that man her husband, Prince Robert." He then motions to the four blonde men, "Those are her sons, that is Griffin, then is Haynes, then Hubert and then Leon. They are all my cousins and they are all Princes."

'And are they all assholes too?' Riki briefly wanders.

"Those two ladies are twins," Iason continues, motioning to the one braided haired lady and then the one with the elegant looking bun. "The one with the braided hair is Princess Aurora, and her husband is Prince Edmund. The lady next to her is Princess Nova, and her husband is Prince Charles. Prince Edmund and Prince Robert are brothers." He then motions to the two blonde's closest to Princess Aurora, "Those are Princess Aurora's sons, Marcus and Ruphias. And the others," he motions to the three blonde men on the other side, "Are Princess Nova's sons, Gideon, Orphe and Gilbert. They too are my cousins and Princes."

'So many of them...' Riki groans internally, but keeps his mouth shut and a neutral expression on his face as he listens.

"And then there is Princess Cordelia." He motions to the women with the sandy blonde hair and crimson dress, "That is her husband, Prince James, next to her. Prince James and Prince Charles are cousins." He then motions to the two blonde men beside them, "And those are her sons, Aisha and Zeke who again are Princes and my cousins." Finally finished the introductions he elegantly grasps onto a small stewed carrot and presses it to Riki's lips, "And you already know my brother Prince Raoul and my Mother Queen Jupiter, so you know everyone present."

'What about your father?' Riki wonders, accepting the carrot obediently, earning a soft pleased smile from the Prince.

"It's funny how something so terrible can bring a family together," Prince Raoul chuckles darkly. "I thank the gods that we do not have wars often, and I pray it does not last long."

"What could you possibly have to do that will be ruined by their presence?" Iason breaks off a piece of bread and lays some meat on it, gently handing it off to Riki who accepts it to consume.

"A sorcerer's work is never over," he advises, shaking his fork at Iason before biting off the piece of a stewed potato speared by it.

"Ah yes, I suppose magic never sleeps," Iason mumbles, taking his fork to eat some of his own food. "Is that is, Raoul?"

"There are endless discoveries to be found! And the more time I waste, the less I find!" he insists, ensuring his voice is so hushed that only Iason and Riki can hear him. "I might create a potion that can bring back the dead, make people immune to weapons, cure the plague! Iason, do not mock what you do not know."

"And how do you feel knowing that every day witches are reported and killed? How does it feel to know that other magic users are killed and you are saved because of your status?"

"It can't be helped! Someone has to keep it alive, Iason!"

The Prince sighs, "It is none of my concern Raoul, I am not mocking you. I'm merely trying to tell you to be careful in your practices." He lowers his chalice for Riki so he can take a drink. "I support you in your profession, but I'm warning you that others will not and until I become King you might be targeted. Mother does not approve of your passion, so please do tread carefully."

The fellow Prince nods, somewhat touched by his brother's loyalty to him. It made him all the more willing to help his older brother succeed in any way he could. He respected his older brother very much, and would always be willing to help him. But that mongrel was a test of his limits. "Thank you."

Riki gently nudges the chalice against Iason's arm, allowing him to take it back before he's engulfed in another conversation with one of the other blonde Prince...what was his name...? Orphe? Whatever, it didn't matter to him. As long as he avoided the eleven other blondes of hell he could at least give his friends some time to possibly escape the area the Prince left them in. There would be no punishment to him if they escaped, would there?

He suddenly tenses, the feeling of eyes burning into him. The Prince continues talking to another Prince whom he believes is named Gideon? The stare continues to burn holes into him, and he sees that it belongs to the blonde right beside him who the Prince was just talking to. Was his name Orphe? Yeah, that had to be him. Forgetting himself, he glares his dark eyes back at the Prince who is trying to subtly stare at him as he eats. After a good minute, the Prince finally drops the subtle gazing game, leaving Riki with a horrible feeling in his stomach. This one would be trouble, his mongrel intuition just knew it and was screaming danger. He would try to stay clear of this one.

—

"You did exceptionally well," the Prince praises, landing a kiss on the boy's forehead while gentle embracing him. Riki had sat through the meal without a trace of bad behavior and had stayed silent and pleasant throughout the discussions that took place afterwards before everyone parted ways for the evening. "Come, well bathe and retire for the night. We have another busy day tomorrow now that everyone has their own activities planned."

Riki starts pulling off his clothes while the Prince disappears to order the servants to their tasks. He sets his clothing aside, before reaching up to touch the collar around his neck. Did he have to keep it on all the time? How many more days would he have to wear this humiliating piece of leather around his neck? He sighs before heading over to the bathroom to where the Prince was awaiting his arrival.

—

"I've been invited to have breakfast with Princess Maia this morning, Riki," the Prince explains, caressing the tired mongrel's face. "Therefore, I'm going to allow you to go to the dinning area on your own and find Maria when you wake up. She will prepare you a meal and then bring it to the room." He grips softly onto the boy's chin, "Do not linger in the halls, you understand? Our guests may be relatives, but I trust none of them with you. I want you to stay here while I'm away, and if you want to go out, Jak and Daryl will accompany you. I'm trusting you to follow my order, Riki"

He yawns, sleep still preventing him from being completely connected. What a worrying rabbit the Prince was, there was no way any of the Princes would want anything to do with him. At least that's what he gathered from all the disgusted stares and whispers at the table. Sluggishly, he tugs on his usual black tunic and then some black pants before sliding his feet into some soft gray fabric shoes. Finally dressed, he heads to the back area where he finds Jak cleaning.

"Good morning, Riki," he smiles, stopping his task of scrubbing. "Are you going to tell Maria to get you breakfast?" He watches the mongrel give a nod, before covering his mouth as he yawns. "I'll finish up this while you're gone, then when you get back and have eaten we can go walk through the castle if you would like."

Riki nods, before turning to head to the door leading to the hallway. This was a test to see if he would run away, wasn't it? Or was the Prince trying to see if he could trust him? Or...was the Prince trying to give him some freedom? He shakes his head at the last one, no way that was true. Lost in his thought, he nearly runs into someone as he exits the room. He dodges, barely missing a collide with the man wearing a green tunic. He whispers a barely audible apology, surprised that it wasn't broken. Was his voice healing?

"What have we here?" a voice muses, and Riki finds his chin lifted to stare up into the eyes of the man. His blood runs cold as he stares up into the eyes of the man who he had a stare down with yesterday.

In a panic, Riki pulls back from the hold, stumbling backwards and falling on his ass to peer up at the man towering over him. Something about this guy had his intuition screaming warnings of trouble. He picks himself up quickly, his eyes darting to the side of the hall the man wasn't on. He starts towards that side, only to have the man block his path, he scowls and side steps to the opposite side only to have the Prince block him again. He stops, holding back the urge to punch the bastard for being annoying.

A chuckle reverberates from Prince Orphe's throat, "Are you lost, little mongrel?" Riki grits his teeth, hitting the man's hand away as he tries to grab onto him. "Such a violent creature you are."

Riki cringes before struggling as the man captures him in a hold, securing his arms behind his back. Fuck, fuck, fuck! What was this man's problem? Why couldn't he just leave him alone? He was supposed to be getting breakfast, not putting up with this bullshit.

"Pardon me, Prince Orphe," a familiar voice sounds, startling both of them. They turn to see Daryl holding a piece of armor and a rag in his hands, "But that belongs to Prince Iason, and he is very particular about not letting others touch him."

Prince Orphe clicks his tongue and releases him, "He was wandering about, I thought he might be stealing something."

'You son of a bitch!' Riki screeches inside, his fist clenching as he prepares to fight. Daryl steps in front of him, preventing him from taking action with his anger and ultimately acting as a barrier to the man.

"I will see him to his destination and ensure he does no such thing," Daryl offers, bowing to the Prince.

Giving a nod of approval, Orphe walks past them, his eyes holding Riki's for an uncomfortable amount of time before diverting. Daryl exhales softly, glancing over at the mongrel whom he just saved.

"Go to Maria and return as soon as you're finished." He runs the rag over the piece of armor, "I'll be watching for your return."

—

After wandering aimlessly down the halls while Jak and Daryl provided commentary, he flops down on the bed. The event with the other Prince plays through his mind, pissing him the fuck off. Why did that bastard try to frame him? He knew nothing about him and he hadn't done anything! In disgust, he sits up abruptly and throws a pillow across the room.

The Prince freezes in the doorway, watching the pillow collide with a bookshelf. He glances back to the mongrel who slumps down the edge of the bed in silent frustration. He glances back at the pillow, "Nice aim, that was very well executed."

Riki glowers up at him, unamused by his attempt to try and pull him from his sullen attitude.

"What has got you in such a state, slave?" he asks, striding over slowly to kneel down beside the mongrel. He tentatively reaches out to touch the boy's face, "You're angry about something. What is it?"

If he had a voice, he would be using it to lash out. He would use it as his weapon and fight with the Prince, telling him how he hated this place, hated the other Princes, wanted to be free, wanted to have his mate back alive.

The Prince sighs, "I have an idea to help relieve you of your anger."

—

"Aim, then pull back the string and..." the Prince instructs while demonstrating how to shoot the arrow; the arrow glides through the air and hitting the target perfectly. "There you have it."

Riki replicates the position that the Prince was holding the bow, before he lines it up with the target and tenses up to pull back the string.

"You can take it slow, it is your—" Iason starts.

Riki pulls back with a strong force after ensuring it was lined up with his target, sending the arrow soaring through the air and landing directly smack dab next to Iason's.

"—first time..." he finishes, all words leaving his mouth as he stares in stunned silence at the arrow that has landed directly beside his. He turns to Riki who is already loading another arrow into the bow. He watches in fascination as the arrow lands directly next to the other two, a hair of space between them. Satisfied with doing it twice, Riki lowers the bow and is immediately wrapped in the Prince's arms. "How did you do that?"

Riki shrugs, he had never actually used a proper bow and arrow before, but from afar he had seen it used and picked up some tips on how to properly use it. And now that he actually had a bow in his hands, he had been itching to try out some of his theories and was pleased to see that it had paid off. Dare he say this, he was actually enjoying this. But he'd never admit that to the Prince.

Iason pushes him back to arms length, staring Riki up and down as he tries to figure out how the amateur had done something that he had taken years to perfect. "Do it again," he breathes, wanting to see the mongrel's skill again.

Not willing to back down from this request, he readily places another arrow into the bow and shoots it through the air and into a target that is shaped like a person. It lands straight in the person's chest where the heart is located, which would have instantly killed them from how deep it pierced. He loads another one in, shooting it directly into the figure's neck, driving it deep through the thick material. Riki himself was impressed with his talent, maybe it was some innate ability he possessed?

"Amazing," Iason whispers, abruptly grasping onto Riki and smashing their mouths together, "You never cease to surprise me, my beautiful mongrel. You are one who would be hard to replace."

Riki flushes slightly before he can catch it, he couldn't help it! He wasn't used to compliments at all! His eyes drop, but soon they stare directly into the soft blue ones as the Prince brings their mouths together in a deep kiss. After nearly falling to his knees as his lungs scream for air, the Prince pulls away, a smile on his face as he plants another kiss on the boy's forehead. Riki was grateful it was only them in the private practice area, it would have been so embarrassing and downright humiliating to be seen by others while doing that.

The man pulls him close, "You are truly ambrosial to me, my mongrel. You amaze me, amuse me and stir me up."

Riki rolls his eyes as the Prince pushes back and grins. He shifts the bow in his hands and looks downwards, unsure of how to handle the words. His eyes notice an incredibly sharp rock, that has a jagged edge, he picks it up to play with in one hand to avoid the stare before pocketing it.

"I will go collect our arrows, you wait here."

Riki watches as the Prince heads over to the target and pulls the arrows from their resting places of being deeply embedded into the figures. Suddenly something flies past him, causing him to flinch before jumping in fear as the sound of something impacting flesh meets his ears. He stares in horror as the Prince falls to his knees, an arrow nesting itself in his right side; crimson pools around the wound, staining his cream colored tunic as he moans softly through gritted teeth.

"Ias..!" Riki cries out, the words ripping his throat as he's about to start running towards him.

A scream fills the air as Princess Maia stares at her fallen nephew in horror, causing Riki to turn and stare at her. Soon guards fill the area, hurrying over to aid the Prince as Riki stands frozen to the ground. "Iason!" Princess Maia screams, about to hurry towards him, but several servants that appear block her from going to help him.

"You!" a guard yells, seeing Riki standing their with a bow guiltily in his hands.

Immediately guards capture the petrified Riki who stares at the bleeding Prince in horror. They tackle him to the ground, ripping off his shirt before whipping him with straps covered in sharp points. Riki jolts and releases several mangled cries as the group thoroughly incapacitate him, he starts to sob as they dig the wounds deeper, allowing dirt to creep in and bury itself deeper with each hit.

"Take him away!" the leader orders, watching as the bloody mess of a mongrel is pulled upwards and taken from the area.

Riki can barely breathe as he sobs from the pain, the guards continue to hit the wounds with crops as he's dragged to the dungeon. After what seems like an eternity, the area around him dims and soon a dirty cold stone floor means his body. He emits a strangled scream as some substance on the cold hard ground enters his wounds and burns along with the pain from impact.

'Wait, wait, wait, it's a mistake! I didn't...!'

The door slams shut, leaving him alone in the darkness. He curls himself into a ball, trying to preserve his body heat as the cold soon meets his exposed skin. He was going to die. He was going to die! And his friends...! Riki sobs, the realization crashing down upon heavily. Oh God, oh God, what had he done! He should have never went out there with the Prince! He should have never...! Now all of his friends would be killed off and join his mate's spirit in whatever after life awaited them. He shakes violently as the broken sobs rip from his throat.

"Riki?"

The mongrel sobs harder, the sound of his mate's voice haunting him as it sounds like he's really there. His mate had come back to haunt him for what he had done, this was his punishment.

"Riki!" the voice repeats and hands gently wrap around the shaking body, making the mongrel freeze in terror and move away from the unknown figure in sheer panic. Was it a ghost? Could ghosts touch people?!

His eyes adjust, the crack of light shining through allowing him to make out the figure that looks similar to his dead mate. "G...uy..."


	15. Death In The Arms of Another

Iason gasped in agony as the arrow dug itself further into his body, tearing through his vital organs and wrecking havoc throughout his insides. Whoever shot it was a skilled person, but it wasn't Riki. That he was certain. He raised his head to watch in horror as guards beat his mongrel to the dirt, the sounds of his screams infuriating him with each second. "N...no...Rik...i," he moaned in a breathy gasp, unsuccessfully lurching forward in attempt to reach his slave.

"Forgive our touch, my Lord," the guard pleaded, pressing a clean fabric to the wound in attempt to stop the bleeding. While doing so, he not only blocked the Prince's view of Riki, but also further prevented his moment.

"Stop...them," Iason ordered weakly, wincing in pain as the arrow head scraped another part of him as he tried to once again move. "Free Riki at once...!"

By then the guards had already started dragging the shrieking mongrel up the steps, further angering the Prince. He gritted his teeth as the guards continued to abuse his mongrel, that was not their job. He was downright appalled that they would immediately attack without him even having a say, they would pay for that later.

"Iason!" Prince Raoul called loudly, spotting his wounded brother fallen in the dirt. His eyes narrowed as he examined the fellow Prince's wounds, "Bring him to me immediately!" he ordered, his green eyes burning with fury. Whoever had done this would thoroughly rot in his experiment room for many years.

—

"Guard the doors, but do not let anyone step foot inside this room!" Raoul commanded bitterly, assisting his brother to be seated in a fashion that prevented his wounds from causing further damage. "If you let so much as a mouse in here, I'll grind your bones to dust and use it as feed for the birds."

The guards gulped in terror, scrambling out of the room to reside outside the door before they fell victim to Prince Raoul's whims.

"Raoul..." Iason coughed, leaning his body back in the chair to try, "Just pull it out..."

"I will," he snapped back, bending down to rip the clothing around the wound off. He studied the wound with a professional eye, gently pulling the skin back in attempt to figure out if the arrow had broken inside. The arrow was fairly deep, and judging from the angle it was shot from somewhere higher, not straight on.

Iason ground his teeth together, an uncomfortable twisting motion around the arrow head sending him into a fit of agony. "Dammit, Raoul!" he gasped, gripping onto the chair arms as sweat started to drip down from his forehead. He twisted abruptly to the side in attempt to stop the painful internal motion.

Raoul ground his molars together, how had this even happened? The castle was secure! Were there traitors among them? "Brace yourself, Iason. I have to pull it out now, the wound is trying to heal with it inside."

"I know! So hurry up!" Iason growled, gripping onto his brother's shoulder with such a force that a normal human's bones would've snapped. He could feel the flesh around the arrow head trying to accept and heal around the intruding object, which caused far more agony than when he had been hit. Nothing could ever compare to the sheer agony of having his body heal itself at such a fast rate, let alone with a sharp object embedded inside.

Raoul pulled out the arrow slowly but with force, trying to ensure he had all the pieces out in case it snapped or splintered upon impact. He could feel the arrow ripping through the newly healed insides as he yanked it out, Iason's healing rate had increased in speed yet again. Finally he spotted the tip, freeing the whole thing from his brother who exhaled in relief as he collapsed back into the chair.

"Thank you..."

"You were lucky I got to you when I did," Raoul grumbled, "If we waited any longer it would have started healing and others would have noticed." He tossed the blood covered arrow to the side, his eyes studying the wound again to ensure its healing. "And you would've been on your knees screaming."

"You...can't tell them Raoul, we had... an agreement," Iason warned in a weak whisper, pressing his hand to the wound to feel his insides twisting beneath his flesh. "If you tell them about that, then I tell them about your magic."

Raoul sighed, stepping up to lean back against a table behind them, "You're going to need to pretend you're injured and healing, Iason. Or else I won't have to breathe a word about your immortality."

—

He fell from the sky.

I saw him.

He just fell through the clouds; like a feather descending to a resting place.

He had long blonde hair, it was so blonde it almost looked white. But he was young, so how could his hair be white?

I hurried over to the boy, he was dressed in a thin material that was draped around his frame. I cautiously approached him, curiosity taking over me completely.

"Are you all right?" I whispered, gently staring down at the beautiful boy. I leaned down and laid my head against his chest, hearing the thudding of his heart. He was alive.

His eyes opened, revealing faint blue orbs that were almost white. I flinched, slightly taken aback by his beauty.

"Beautiful..." he breathed, his voice sounding like gentle waves splashing against a ledge. I didn't flinch as he reached up to gently touch my face. His touch feeling like the warmth of the brightest sun rays against my skin. "Don't be afraid..."

"I'm not," I denied, shaking slightly at this interesting occurrence.

A smile so soft touched his features, "Of course you're not." He sat up slowly, ensuring not to startle me. "What is your name?"

"I'm Princess Jupiter," I answered politely, "And who are you, boy who fell from the heavens?"

Again a soft smile touched his face, sending a wave of happiness swirling through my chest. "Pleased to meet you, your Majesty. I'm the one known as Leonard." He gently grasped onto my hand, landing a kiss on the skin, "I shall protect you until I parish, my beautiful Princess."

—

"G—Guy..." Riki breathed shakily, staring the figure up and down. There was no way this was real, Guy had died. There was blood on the Prince's floor to prove it! He scooted backwards slowly, not willing to take a chance and be possessed or harmed by the imposture.

"Riki, what happened to you? I smell...blood..."

"Guy..." he whispered in a broken voice, trying to convince himself that this really was happening. "I...y..you... dead..."

The figure slowly crawled towards the smaller mongrel, finally catching him in a gentle embrace that sent Riki wincing in agony. "I'm not. They threw me in here and my wounds got infected." He gentle brought his hand up to Riki's hair, running his fingers through the dark locks, "I thought I would die, but then they started sending in someone who tended to my wounds. I'm not sure why."

So Guy had no idea of his sacrifice? Or that he was not the only one who was locked up? He was beyond happy that his mate was alive, but he knew that his other friends were at risk now because of this whole mix up.

"I... convince them...let me out," Riki panicked while his each word scraped his throat, trying to push back from his mate. He fell straight on something sharp, and he yelped loudly which caused Guy to jolt. He pulled the rock from his pocket, scowling at the pointed tip that pierced him. "The Prince... C...lan... need to...save..."

"Riki," Guy snapped, pulling him into his arms again, "I'm not losing you again." He tightens his grip, "Didn't we promise? Didn't we promise that if the time came we would all die together?"

Riki immediately froze, "Guy..." He couldn't possibly mean...

"They aren't going to believe you. They won't, Riki."

"Have to...!" the smaller mongrel growled in a whisper, trying to escape from the arms around him, but stops when his wounds send pain coursing through him.

—

"Forget it, Riki! We are finished!" Guy insisted, hugging him tighter, "We are mates even past death! Are you going to deny of my wish to be with you and remain captive?"

"Is it done?" Iason snapped, every cell of his body demanding him to go to his mongrel's side and free him from his accusations.

Raoul pulled the material tight, finishing off the bandage. "Who did this?"

"Everyone believes it was Riki, but it was not."

Raoul's eyes burn with hate, his molars once again grounding together in anger. "That damned—"

"Raoul, he is not responsible for this!" he interrupted, pushing away from his brother. "He was in front of me, yes, but he had only one arrow left. The one he was holding. And it was still in his hands when they captured him."

"So you think someone inside the castle tried to assassinate you?"

"Yes," he answered curtly, "And I think I know who..."

—

"But..."

"Riki!" Guy sternly hissed, "Why are you hesitating? Do you not want to be free?"

"No I—"

"Do you want to remain a slave to that man?"

"N...no!"

Guy exhaled softly, "Then what, Riki? Do you not love me anymore?"

"Guy..."

"Please, Riki," he whispered ever so gently, "I don't want to be apart from you knowing that he owns you. You are my pairing partner, so why don't you show him that?"

His earlier plan to commit suicide with his friends to shove it all in the Prince's face bubbled back to the surface, this was the only option. With this he could finally be at ease knowing that they all would be together. The Prince would kill of his friends after finding Guy and his body, and he would finally see that Riki did not belong to him. But there was also a bitter aftertaste that lingered through him, he was his own free man, yet Guy was acting as if he owned him just as Iason had. Had his absence really shaken Guy to the core? Or had the time he spent locked up driven Guy to need to free Riki?

"OK," Riki whispered softly, looking up at Guy who picked up the sharp edge rock he brought with him and was sharpening it against a crack in the floor until it was a lethal pointed spike.

—

"Where is he?" Iason demanded, storming down the halls with a slight wobbly movement, along with pained expressions every so often to make it seem he was injured.

"Iason!" Queen Jupiter cried, rushing up to gently wrap her hands around her son. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, mother," he curtly answered, giving her a moment to relax, "Where is my slave?"

"Iason, he tried to kill you!"

"No, mother," Iason heatedly denied in a whisper for her ears only, "There is a traitor among us. My slave was set up."

—

Riki gnashed his teeth together, grinding his blood caked back against Guy as he screamed in agony from the attacks of pain to his back along with the pain from the sharp rock cutting his flesh unevenly.

"Shh, Riki..." Guy soothingly whispered in his ear, continuing to slice through his mate's left wrist.

"Kuu..." Riki gasped while tears streamed down his face, his body writhing in pain helplessly.

"Cut me, Riki."

—

"Where is he?" Iason roared, his voice echoing off the stone walls as he hurried down the stairs to the dungeon. He was furious when he discovered his slave had been locked away with his pairing partner, why hadn't the guards taken Riki to his room?

"Over here, my Lord!"

Iason gnashed his teeth together, storming down the hall to the cell which the guard was fumbling to open. "Hurry up!" he barked and ripped open the door just as the key clicked.

Light filled the room, the sight in front of him made his heart drop instantly to the floor. There was his mongrel, in the arms of his mate in an embrace so gentle; blood splattered around them. Their wrists were cut, and their bloody fingers entwined in a tight grip, representing the inseparable bond between mongrel mates.


	16. A Slit Wrist And A Broken Heart

Iason ground his teeth as he observed the sight of his mongrel dying within the arms of his partner, a look of acceptance and peace was on his face. With fury in each step he stormed forward and pried the mongrel free from his mate's embrace. Riki was unconscious, and there was a lot of blood from his wounds caked to his sweat covered body. While he strode back to the room's exit, he felt for the mongrel's neck and detected a faint heartbeat along with warmth still lingering in the boy's body.

"Your Highness, you'll get dirty!" the guard protested.

"Move," he hissed venomously. He cradled Riki while using a bit of his torn tunic fabric to wrap around the mongrel's wound and applied pressure. He strode quickly down the corridors, heading immediately to Raoul's room. There was no way in hell he was letting the mongrel die like that. Inside he was furious, from head to toe his blood boiled. How dare they think to commit suicide as a pair!

Raoul spotted the two coming down the hall, a sigh escaped his lips. Just how many times would he have to save this damned beast? Why, of all things to use his magic on, was this mongrel the main subject? Without even a breath between them, Iason pushed past Raoul and carried the boy straight into the room and laid him down on the table. "It's like he never left..." Raoul grumbled under this breath, locking the door behind them.

—

"The bleeding has stopped," Prince Raoul apathetically announced, disposing of his gloves—he was running low because of this beast contaminating every damn pair. "If he had cut upwards along the arm I wouldn't be able to save him, because he would have lost all the blood in his body. But since he cut across, the blood was starting to clot already." He paused, "The cut was not enough to kill him actually. He did bleed, yes, but judging from the amount of blood I'd say his partner was the one to bleed out the most."

'Good,' Iason praised internally, 'I hope that damn mate of his bled out. If I find him still alive I'm going to execute him, to hell with the agreement. Riki will just think he died during the suicide.'

"Iason, you do not have time for this," his brother mentioned yet again. "You should be doing final preparations, not dealing with this...this... thing!"

"Yes, yes, you've made your point very clear." The Prince leaned back in the chair, rubbing his fingertips against his temple. He had to do so much. Tomorrow was just the start of when they executed the people guilty of treason. A hefty chunk of the lower class, and a portion of the middle class would face the guillotine. The half breed mongrels that were caught would get the blade along with any mongrel sympathizers in the other classes. And yet, he was protecting a mongrel and the remaining clan members, oh the irony.

The more he thought about it, the more unsure he was. If he had it his way, he would kill the ones who were trying to plot a revolution and leave the rest alone. But oh no, Mother would not stand for such a thing. She demanded that the majority of half breeds, the parties guilty of treason and anyone else who associated with mongrels be killed all for the sake of the bloodline.

That also meant that the nobles he had dinner with the evening of Riki's first suicide attempt would need to be executed. Everyone who had seen Riki and was not part of his family, the castle crew, Riki's clan and the ones providing mongrel information would be disposed of. Iason mentally noted that he would need to send out a force to gather up all of his mongrel informants and place them in a safe area until the executions were done.

Tomorrow he would send out his squad to massacre the protesters closest to the castle land borders, after a thorough cleansing had taken place, he would send his second squad the next day to wait and capture the next flock. By doing this, the hope was to diminish the army in half, as the revolutionists believed the Queen had no idea of their plans. The rest that arrived from the farther regions would be killed off by battle, and this time he himself would participate to reluctantly prove his loyalty to his mother, even if he did not agree with the idea.

A knock sounded on the door, interrupting both Princes. "Come," Raoul calmly beckoned, watching as the door opened to reveal the doctor he sent to aid the other mongrel. "Is it still alive?"

"Aye, my Lord. The other one is still kicking." The doctor looked from Prince Raoul to Iason, "And what would you like us to do with him?"

'Kill him,' Iason growled internally. He despised the pairing partner of his slave with every cell in his body, he wanted to flay him alive, impale him, boil him!

"He will have to be brought to me," Prince Raoul answered, shocking Iason to the core as he had started to speak. "He'll need the advanced healing remedies I have, and then we will deal with him after."

"What?" Iason sputtered as the doctor left, "Raoul, I'm not leaving him alive!"

"Yes you are." Raoul picked up an empty crystal bottle and placed it back on the shelf behind him and began looking for another. "If you do not leave him alive that means your slave's agreement will be void. Or are you going to go back on the agreement you told me you made with him?"

Iason bit his tongue as he reigned his temper and arguments. "I am not risking him being a future problem."

"Then give him this," he calmly sighed as he pulled another liquid filled bottle from the shelf and set it down.

"And what is that?"

"This will cause him to have a high fever, and after the fever he will remember nothing." Raoul swished the contents around in the bottle, "If it works properly, it will take away his memories, leaving him with only the basic skills needed to function. He will never remember your slave, therefore your agreement can stay in place."

He hesitated, the urge to just kill the other mongrel was strong—very strong. But Raoul did have a point, if he broke the agreement and Riki ever did find out he would pay dearly for it. "Fine," he concluded as he rose. "Use that. And make sure that they don't see each other at all."

"And where are you going?"

"To find who tried to kill me." Iason opened the door and stepped out, pivoting to the right to head back to his room for a moment only to freeze. "What are you doing out?"

Jak trembled on the spot, his eyes widened with terror as he saw the Prince. "Master, I...I know who tried to kill you..." he whispered so softly.

—

"You dare try to kill my son?" the Queen demanded, her eyes blazing with fury as she stared down the servant. "Who bribed you?"

There was no response from the servant, he just looked down at the carpet while he prayed to every single god to come and save him. Yes, he had been bribed, but he had also been told he would be removed safely from the castle after his task, and that never happened.

"Who?" Jupiter repeated, her voice booming off the walls.

"Sir Carter!" The servant whimpered as he stared up at the Queen with tears stained to his cheeks. "During the masquerade they...they approached me and bribed me...to... to kill the Prince. Forgive me! Forgive me!"

The Queen ground her teeth, to think one of her trusted friends had set out to ruin her was unthinkable. That meant treason was in all the classes, which made everything harder. They had to have known that a war was starting, and so they had planned to kill off Iason in hopes of weakening the Queen and overthrowing her. She waved her hand to the servant, "Off with his head."

"No, no! Please spare me! Mercy!" The servant screamed at the top of his lungs and thrashed around as the guards dragged him away down the red carpet and out the door to the execution area.

—

Iason carried Riki back to his room, still he awaited the moment the near black eyes would open again. But he was still very angry too. He was furious that he had to let the mate live and that this whole incident had occurred. He places Riki on the bed and stripped him of his clothes, while discarding them he went and retrieved the chain and hooked it to the slave's collar. He placed his mongrel on the bear skin rug on the floor and chained the short leash to the clasp.

Exhausted he ordered the servants to bring him his dinner so he could eat in his chambers and then sleep. He specifically told Daryl to tell Her Majesty of his reason for not attending which was that he was hoping to recover quicker by resting. Iason sipped his wine and quietly ate his meal at the small table in his room, glancing over at the mongrel every so often and he strained his ears to pick up any sound that indicated he was waking up.

The time passed and his mongrel was still not awake, and he refused to let the mongrel believe his actions would go unpunished. That was when he decided to move Riki to the hidden room connected to his chambers. Inside the room was a simple bed and a table, this would be Riki's room in which he kept him locked up. Granted, the dark dungeon connected to his spacious room was an alternate option, but he decided against that. He didn't wish for Riki to get sicker while being locked up as punishment, so he decided that this was better. He cursed himself for not using it sooner, to be honest he hadn't thought of it in a long time.

The servants quickly dusted and cleaned the untouched room so it could be lived in once again. Iason chained Riki to the headboard and covered him with a blanket, but underneath he remained naked as punishment. Until he was healed, he would hold back on his physical punishment and leave him cooped up inside the unfamiliar room. Remembering his mongrel's furious temper tantrum which destroyed his chambers, he ordered the servants to bring the leg and hand shackles. Even if he couldn't move far because of the chain, he had a suspicion his slave might try to destroy things regardless if he got his feet or hands free. This way he could only move his fingers, which was enough because he would have to eat. But he had moved the hand shackles low enough so his wrist was not in contact with the bindings.

To further humiliate his mongrel, he did not provide anything for him to use during excretion. Hopefully the mongrel would find a way to not release on the bed, but that was for him to decide. It would be an excruciatingly humiliating experience for Riki to have to watch as his servants replaced the sheets.

And if by any chance at all his mongrel should feel any desire, he grabbed the jagged interior ring from their previous training session and put it on the mongrel's flaccid penis. Iason wasn't taking any chances of his mongrel pulling anything else surprising.

Finally satisfied, the Prince decided to retire for the night. He blew out the candle that lit the room, but left the peeking slot open so a beam of light from his room shone through. That was all the light the mongrel would receive. He would assign servants to peek in at him during the day tomorrow while he was busy at work.

—

"Total deceased?"

"Seventy two, my Lord," Katze answered, flipping through the tally and reports. "All from the lower class."

Iason sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, "And my mongrel informants?"

"All secured."

"Very good, leave me now," the Prince breathed, not opening his eyes as he leaned backwards in his chair. If the statistics were correct, that meant that the majority of the little lower class town along the castle lands were massacred. Their bodies would line the streets in heaps until animals came and ate them. And the other occupants would be forced to move which would mean that they would have the more crowded regions be the only place for the survivors.

He tugged the book out from the stash of papers on his desk, it had been awhile since he read it and he hadn't progressed very far into the thick papers. He flipped the cover open and returned to the second page titled: Mongrel Leaders. His eyes skimmed through the information, he discovered that his was explaining the governing system of the Clans during the time of abundance. There was a ruler, the one who was believed to be a direct descendant of the mongrel ancestor from the beginning. He would make decisions for the Clan and guide them throughout the lands. The leader was also said to possess the spirit of the fearless leader Ceretirian, the first wolf who could transform into a human. Ceretirian was the Alpha of the pack, he fought all the enemies head on and protected everyone close to him. Eventually, Ceretirian mated with another member of the pack, while in wolf form, and bore sons who had the same gift as him. That was how the bloodline of wolves becoming human began.

Iason rested his head in his hand and continued reading. He wasn't going to dismiss the idea that this actually happened, he himself was living proof of an unnatural occurrence. His father wasn't human, to say the least, so despite his hesitance to go along with it, he would.

His eyes continued to read through the writing and he stopped at one particular part. It stated that the fifth generation son of the leader who could not transform would possess Ceretirian's spirit and possibly have the ability to transform once again. The mongrels slowly lost their wolf forms human due to the mongrel pack retaining their human forms and losing the ability to transform over time. The child would begin receiving the spirit around eighteen to nineteen years, he would bare animal like characteristics and would either have the ability to transform or the healing abilities of which Ceretirian possessed when he switched forms.

Iason cringed and tried to think of how much time would have passed since they stopped transforming. It could very well be the fifth generation, it had been around one hundred years since the folklore had started. His mind brought forth the mental image of the black beast in the painting and the time he asked his mother what it was. She had responded saying that it was his father's art piece of what he said creatures named "mongrels" looked like after they perished and resided in the skies with their ancestors.

He believed that his fascination for the mongrels had stemmed from that picture on the ceiling. He would often go to that room and stare up at the painting and wonder why his father had painted the beast next to the angel. His mother had said they were enemies, yet they were standing side by side and looking forward as if they were walking together. His main reason he had taken Riki in was because his eyes reminded him so much of the beast's in the painting, and he couldn't help his curiosity.

The Prince closed the book, his mind racing with questions that would need to be put aside until a better time. He pushed it away and yanked the grain production and stock tally forward to confirm the rations. He stared at the scribbles on the page, his mind still stuck on the information he had just read.

—

Riki woke up slowly, disorientation caused him to feel sick to his stomach. He laid there for what felt like days, his head spinning and his stomach churning. After everything seemed to stop twirling around, he opened his eyes to darkness, fear taking over his very core. Was he dead? Had he descended to hell because of all the bad things he'd done?

He tried to sit up, only to have his breath stolen by something wrapped around his neck. He started to tug at his neck to fight off the attack only to realize his hands were stuck together and pain was spiking through one of them. He released a mangled scream of panic, he hadn't the slightest idea of where he was or what was going on. He remembered he had committed suicide with Guy, but now where was he?

He sat still, took several deep breaths to calm himself and then started to feel around him. He was on a bed, he was naked, on his feet were shackles, and on his neck was the all to familiar collar and chain. The Prince had saved him yet again, he hadn't died; he was still a slave. Frustration, sadness and fear mingled in his chest, almost choking him by how overpowering they were. Was Guy still alive? Were his friends still alive? If Guy had survived where was he now? What was going to happen now? Was he still a slave or was the Prince holding him here so he could be sold off or executed at a later time?

Riki flopped helplessly against the softness of the bed, he found some comfort in it, as it was so soft he sunk into it. It was also warm from his body temperature and the room itself wasn't very cold, so it felt like a reassuring hug in a sense as it caressed his body. His wrist was aching, like a painful heartbeat was beating under the skin and bandage wrapped around it. God did that hurt! It felt like his veins were burning madly and scraping against one another each time he tried to move it.

The more he laid there, the rawer his insides seemed to be getting. His heart was aching from torment as he thought of his pairing partner, how he probably lost him for good this time. And again he lamented the loss of his freedom. Death seemed to be never an option for escape, and if death was not even freedom than what else was there?

A huge lump formed in his throat, and he could no longer hold back a sob that escaped his lips. His strangled cry reverberated off the walls of the room, his sore and parched throat scolded him with each cry. He wanted to scream out words, cusses, anything! But his voice was a mere squeak now that it was abused. He fisted the sheets beneath his hands and buried his face into the pillow and muffled his scream. There was nothing he could do anymore, nothing at all! He screamed again and again and again. He screamed until he voice was a mere rasp, and his throat was so sore it hurt to breathe. He started to choke and something warm dripped down his chin with each cough, he had irritated his throat and vocal cords and now they were bleeding.

A scraping sound met his ears and a beam of light shone in, he raised his head to see the light partially blocked and eyes staring at him from the light source. Riki tried to talk, but all that came out was a pitiful wheeze. The light disappeared and a door opened, blinding him with the sunlight. He closed his watering eyes and then heard the door shut and footsteps walked over. He pried open his eyes to see the room was lit with a dimmer light, a candle which was set on a table he hadn't noticed.

The unfamiliar person grabbed onto his chin and wiped away the blood, "What didja do, stupid beast, bite your tongue?" This wasn't Jak or Daryl, and he didn't trust this one. The person continued to wipe his face and he snapped his teeth together, almost catching the person's finger. "Feisty."

A sudden hit to his face sent pain through his jaw and tears welled up into his eyes from the really close and powerful blow. He tried to stare up and grit his teeth at the servant, but it hurt to close his mouth tightly.

"Piece of shit," the person huffed and moved away. Another person entered as the other one left, carrying a tray which was set down on the edge of the bed within his reach. "What are you doing?" The other person came back, took the tray and placed it on the table and grinned. "You can't give it to him so easily."

"He hasn't eaten in a while," the other servant insisted, turning around to take it back. He fell to the floor as the other one hit him hard, the sound of the hand hitting the flesh made Riki cringe.

"I'm in charge," the person reminded. "And he ain't eating until he really deserves it. He can't have everything handed to him! Now git!" He kicked the smaller servant, which caused rage to bubble through Riki's veins. The smaller one scrambled to the door and the person followed and then stopped, a grin on his face, "Enjoy your meal."

—

Riki could no longer cry, he was all out of tears from the pain—physical, mental and emotional. He now felt hollow and wanted something to fill it. He wanted that tray of food and wanted to stuff it in the big empty chunk of him, but there it sat, visible by candle light. The scents continued to waft over to him along with the aroma of the burning wick and fire. He wanted anything, anything at all to fill the big hole in his chest that ached.

Anything, please.

Anything.

—

Another servant entered the room, his eyebrows knitting together as he eyed the food tray and the almost burnt out candle, "What in the hell..." He strode over to look at the tray, candle and then Riki. "Those bastards!" He grabbed the tray and set it in front of Riki, he ripped apart some bread and dipped it into the wine because it was now a bit hard. "Here."

Riki weakly opened his mouth, his jaw hurting excessively as he pried it open. He finally took in some of the wet bread, the moisture felt so good on his dry tongue.

The servant sighed angrily, set the tray on the end of the bed and started to help Riki into a sitting position. He gently caught the mongrel's chin, observing the bruise. "They're going to get flayed when the Prince sees you." He lifted up the cup, brought it to Riki's lips and poured it slowly for him. Riki immediately and greedily accepted the liquid, he craved it so badly. He finished off the cup, the taste of the lower quality wine tingled his taste buds. He wanted more, he needed more! "Do you want more?" the servant guessed to which he readily nodded.

This would fill his empty piece and drown his sorrows.


	17. Never Underestimate Your Enemies

The smell of blood polluted the air along with flying insects that continuously landed and started to consume the flesh of the bodies. He walked through the ghost like town that had no life within it, a thick fog filled the air and made it hard to see more than a foot in front of him. His dark cloak concealed his identity, but it was not necessary as there was no one around to question or confront him. Ravens and crows circled over head and swooped down to feast on several bodies in various heaps, they ripped through the flesh and insides of the reeking bodies. His boot met something soft and he pulled back to find a severed head of a child. He studied the child's face, it looked so innocent and young, what could this child have done to deserve this fate? The child's glazed over brown eyes stared up at him while a streak of blood stained it's chin. He bent down and placed his black leather gloves to the child's eyelids and closed them. He hoped that at least by doing so the child would be spared from seeing the horror around him. His eyes drifted down to see that maggots and worms had already started to burrow within the child as they feasted on the contents inside. What a cruel world this was.

He continued his early morning walk through the deserted area. Every few steps were bodies piled upon each other on either side of him, while severed heads laid in the pathway. He maneuvered around them and continued his ways through the death infested area. He tried not to breathe much because of the smell which invaded his lungs and tainted his mouth. His chest began to ache as he internally questioned why anyone deserved this, why had they deserved this? He choked as he saw something bloodied buried in the dirt and had to collect himself as he almost retched. It was a severed babies head, or what was left of it, that was crushed from something—a horse's hoof, perhaps—and it's insides were leaking out from the broken areas. What had this innocent baby done to deserve death? The baby hadn't even learned a thing about the world and now it never would. This world is a cruel one, that he was certain.

—

Riki had woken up several times in his darkness, his body pulsed with pain and would not allow him to remain in the relief of unconsciousness. His wrist was aching while his throat burned as if he had swallowed sharp rocks that had cut on the way down and his back was hurting. Every injury seemed to have it's own heartbeat and thumped painfully against his flesh and insides. Each cut on his back seemed beat in rhythm with his heart, the veins in his wrist pounded against his skin and bones and his throat constricted and hammered in time with his pulse. Oh God, it was painful! Kill him! Make it stop!

He craved something that would numb him and free him from the torture. Wine, oh God he craved the liquid that would dull his senses and make him forget. He wanted to drink as much as he could. He wanted to drink so much he never wake up again to this life. He wanted to drink barrel after barrel until he got sick and his heart stopped. He wanted anything that would numb him, anything! He just needed something that would end his bodies' and heart's aching!

—

Iason stared out to the endless line of prisoners; half bloods, middle class and others walked along in shackles to the execution area. His eyes drifted over to the stands where several nobles and relatives accompanied the Queen as they awaited the start of the blood bath. This was nothing but a show for them, which it should be. Iason, however, was uncomfortable with the entire thing. Body after body were innocent half bloods who had done nothing wrong and did not deserve death.

He watched as a middle class mother desperately reached out for her half blood child who was separated into another shackle line. The child screamed and sobbed as he tried to reach his mother, but could not. The Prince looked away as guards started to beat the mother to the ground with clubs and cringed as the child started to scream louder and louder between heart wrenching sobs of desperation. A wave of guilt pierced through him as he stood and watched it happen and did nothing. With each scream, the Prince began to see himself in the child. The child was guilty of having mixed blood, and so was he. If others learned of his bloodline he could too be executed, as he was not normal. He choked down his feelings as he watched the dead mother have her hands cut off and her carcass carelessly dragged to the side. The guards unshackled the screaming child who immediately ran over to his mother, only to watch as a squad on horses with more half bloods rode in and trampled her lifeless body. He clutched onto his mangled mother's body and sobbed; his tiny frame shook as he produced endless tears of anguish while his mother's blood stained him.

Iason watched as an executioner picked up a maul and started walking towards the child. No longer able to let this happen, the Prince ran forward as he imagined the child's head being mashed like a rock. The executioner raised the hammer and Iason gripped onto his arm just in time. "Don't touch him," he hissed darkly and pushed the man away. The executioner immediately backed off and Iason swooped down and grabbed the screaming and sobbing child. He hid him under his black cloak and hurried back to the castle before any of the crowd watching the show, mainly his mother, caught him by looking away from the guillotine executions. The blood covered child clung to him under the protection of his clothing as he screamed and sobbed while the image of his mother was burned into his brain.

Iason didn't know what to do with the child, he had saved him on a whim. But he couldn't bring himself to go throw him back out there. He wrapped his arms around the child and hurried back to his chambers. He slammed the doors open and scared Jak, who was cleaning, out of his whits. "Take him," he ordered, revealing the screaming and crying boy to the servant. Jak's eyes widened, but he immediately obeyed and took the child into his arms and started to talk soothingly to it and rocked him in his arms. Daryl stepped out from the back room, his eyebrows raising upon laying his eyes on the scene. "Go get Maria and tell her to prepare him a warm drink," he commanded Daryl. The servant nodded and headed to the door to do his task, "Do not let anyone outside of Maria and the servants know of his existence." His eyes finally noticed that the boy had several cuts and marks on his skin, "And see to his wounds being treated." Jak nodded and finally managed to get the boy to stop screaming, but he continued to cry.

Iason turned and left the room, he sighed as the doors closed behind him. His eyes drifted downwards to his blood stained clothing which he covered with his cloak. What was he doing?

—

He had just managed to close his eyes when a loud bang on he other side of the wall along with a child screaming and crying jolted him to life again. What was going on? What was happening on the other side of the wall? He strained his ears to listen and could hear the Prince talking and then someone responding over top of the child cries and screams. Then it was quiet, the child continued to cry, but it had stopped screaming and there was a muffled voice that seemed to be talking to the child.

Why would the Prince have a child in his room? That made no sense to him. Where had he gotten the child to begin with? The voice continued to rumble out muffled words of reassurance. Riki found his mind wandering back to the days when his father would calm him down after he had a nightmare, and he found himself closing his eyes as he relived his past.

—

Iason headed down the halls to avoid going back out and spotted Princess Maia walking around with a distressed looked on her face. He strode over the her as she nearly collapsed and caught her in his arms, "Aunt Maia!" he exclaimed.

"It's horrible," she choked and leaned into her sturdy nephew. "All the innocent—" She stared out the window and caught a glimpse of a row of children ranging in ages in line for the guillotine. "—children..." She inhaled a shaky breath, "And they expect me to sit and watch it! How can anyone be so cold hearted?"

The Prince gently hugged his shaking aunt—he knew exactly how she felt. He could relate to his aunt more than anyone else, she always understood him and he always understood her. Iason covered her ears as the muffled sound of the string of children screaming filled the hallway. She gripped onto him desperately as she gritted her teeth and cried softly. Finally when it ended he uncovered her ears, watching as she slowly opened her glistening eyes.

"How are we human if we kill so easily, Iason?"

Iason couldn't respond, because he had killed many with his own hands.

"They did nothing..." she trailed, finally straightening up and wobbling to a standing position. "Nothing..."

He hesitated, but decided to give it a chance. "Aunt Maia, could you come with me for a moment?" he asked softly as he took her hand.

—

Iason opened the door to reveal the scene of Jak finishing up cleaning the child. Princess Maia inhaled a shaky breath as she laid eyes on him, her maternal instincts taking over as she approached the crying child and asked to hold him. Jak blinked in surprise and looked to Iason who nodded. The servant nodded softly and dipped his head in respect as he handed the child who was wrapped in a small square of fabric to the Princess.

"Oh shhh, my child," she cooed, gently rocking the crying child as she pressed him against her. "You're all right, darling. You're all right." She looked up to Iason, "Can I stay with him?"

"Of course," he answered, admiring the magic she seemed to be doing as the child's crying softened. "But, Aunt Maia—"

"I will tell no one," the Princess interrupted, accurately guessing what the Prince was about to say. "Your secret is safe with me." She leaned down slightly and planted a soft kiss on the boy's forehead while gently patting his back in a soothing motion.

Iason nodded and looked over to Jak, "I'll have Daryl inform Maria of Princess Maia being in my chambers. Do not let anyone else other than Maria or Daryl or myself inside, understand? Maria will bring the drinks for our guests and Riki's meals, so ensure she is alone when she enters."

"Yes, Master."

—

Iason headed towards the doors that led to outside, he really did not wish to witness the executions, but his mother was expecting him. He grudgingly walked over while still putting on an act that his side was hurting. His mother glanced at him as he sat next to her and gasped as she saw him touching his side. "Are you all right, Iason?"

"I am fine," he calmly answered.

"How is Maia?" she asked, leaning back and refocusing on the executions.

"I passed her on my way here, she said she was ill and needed to rest," he lied through his teeth.

"She was always shy of blood," the Queen answered back nonchalantly. "We were discussing possible nobles guilty of treason. What do you think, Iason?"

Iason listened as the crowd began talking about possible friends and trusted acquaintances who had shown signs of deception. He began to feel disgusted at how they could discuss something like this so calmly while glancing up every once in awhile to watch the guillotine blade fall and the heads to be thrown into a separate cart that was taken away. He didn't have to even ask to know where they were going, he knew that they were going to the borders and would to be added to the wall of other impaled heads which would warn the next army of rebels who were going to attack of their fate.

—

The audience started to disperse from the stands and Iason excused himself. He told his mother he was going inside to rest as his side was aching, but in reality he just could no longer stand the smell of the sea of blood and gore below them. He wanted to go back to his room, but he knew he could not rest there. The thought of going to his mongrel momentarily seemed good, but then turned sour as he remembered he had not punished him yet and he felt guilty about what was happening to all the half breeds outside. With nowhere else to go, he found himself entering his father's secret room and staring up at the ceiling to the beast and the angel.

Just like when he was young, he lowered himself to the carpet and laid down to stare intently up at the painting. Why was the angel next to the beast? Why were they supposedly enemies? Why were they side by side in such a fashion that they appeared to be fighting something together? If only he knew the answers.

"Why..." he breathed, wishing his father was still alive to tell him the explanation behind everything. Why was the bloodline such an important thing? Why did the mongrels have to die? Why was he immortal? Why did Raoul possess skills in magic? What was his father? Why could Riki not be obedient? What was he doing wrong? He did not know the answers to anything.

—

Riki sat up, his bones had started aching from being in the same position so long. He was starting to go mad, he was starting to lose it because of the pain. He needed something to numb him. He needed something to take away his pain and fill the gaping hole in his chest.

The door opened and he nearly cried in happiness as he saw a servant come forward. He immediately snatched the chalice with his fingers and ignored the pain to gulp down the liquid. Yes, yes, yes! He held the cup back to the servant in a silent plea for more which was answered.

"You're drinking a lot," the servant fretted and noticed the other tray still had the majority of food on it. "And you're not eating. You need to eat or we'll be punished for not caring of you properly, Riki."

Riki just shook his head and continued to drink from the cup, he wasn't going to eat anything, he just wanted to drink. He wanted to drink until his sorrows vanished and the familiar feeling of drunkenness made his aching chest warm and fuzzy. He noticed this wine was a different brand, and it appeared to be more potent and had a stronger taste. It splashed inside of him and mixed with the other wine, which caused him to feel slightly jittery, like he was a hummingbirds wings.

The servant frowned as he saw Riki wince as he dropped the empty cup, "Are you in pain?" he asked softly, "Should I go request something to help ease it?"

Liking the idea, Riki nodded softly and jolted again as a sensitive part of his back touched the headboard. Seeing this, the servant panicked, filled up Riki's glass and hurried off to go find something. He shakily clasped onto the cup and quickly drank as much as he could before his wrist started to pound as if being crushed. He dropped the chalice and clutched onto his bandaged limb while curling up slightly; his back protested at the sudden movement. He bit his lips and tried to hold back agonizing cries as he prayed for the alcohol to numb him.

The servant rushed back in with something, he nearly fainted as he saw Riki writhing and moaning. "Quick, drink this!" He pressed the small bottle to the slave's lips and forced him to drink. "This is the strongest remedy we have for pain. You won't feel anything for a long time."

Riki gasped and leaned back, his mind started to swim from all the alcohol that was running through his veins and was starting to numb him. He began to notice he couldn't feel his fingertips as they started to tingle and disappear. Yes, this was what he wanted. He didn't want to feel anything. The light vanished from the room and he laid there, slowly losing the feeling in his body as the wine and other concoction made his chest feel warm and full. He wanted this relief to last as long as possible, he didn't want to wake up and face reality again for a little while. He closed his eyes and sighed softly as he started to drift away.

—

Iason once again ordered his meal to be served in his room. He had the half blood child placed in the care of the servants in the back room after Princess Maia had managed to get him to stop crying, fed and sleeping. Now he could finally stay in his room again, and he wanted to check on his mongrel. The early evening sky was dark and dreary outside his window, as if the gods themselves were lamenting the loss of their children on the earth below that had been slain.

He opened the door to the room and held a candle by the holder up to reveal his mongrel looking rather relaxed, but there was panic in his eyes. "So you're awake?" the Prince grinned while walking over. "Whats the matter with you—?" He held the candle closer to the slave's face and gripped the tanned chin in his gloved fingers, "I did not give you this bruise."

Riki feebly pushed away, his eyes searching for something as his hands slowly grasped onto his naked nether regions. Iason watched as he tried to move away to the other side of the bed. The mongrel gritted his teeth and wobbled slightly as he squeezed his legs together while awkwardly holding onto his privates in his drunken state. He wobbled again on his knees, his body squirming and ignorant to the the numbed and temporarily numbed was drunk out of his mind, but knew that he need to urinate.

The Prince frowned and looked down to the almost full food trays, "You're not eating again." He watched his mongrel start to wiggle his lower half as if extremely uncomfortable, but in such a slow and irregular way it concerned him. He stepped forward and inhaled the scent of his slave, "You smell like wine. Are you intoxicated?" He glanced down to see the only thing on the tray that was empty was the cup, which caused him to finally piece the situation and mongrel's actions together. "Do you need to relieve yourself?"

Riki flopped forward straight into the bed and looked up at Iason with an angered expression as if it was his fault that he needed to urinate. Iason stared at him with eyes that twinkled with amusement. "I'm surprised you lasted this long." He sat himself down on the edge of the bed beside the tray, "Well if you need to release you should do so, I do not imagine it's good to hold it back."

The mongrel expelled a breathy moan and then there was silence. Iason frowned, and leaned forward to grasp onto the boy's chin and find that he was sleeping. Disappointment filled him as he had wished to see the mongrel's face when he wet himself as he walked to the bed side and gently pulled the mongrel back to the proper sleeping position. He sighed and stepped away, but froze as he heard the distinct sound of water trickling. He turned around to see a stain forming below the sleeping mongrel and shook his head. When the mongrel woke up he would step in to see how he would react to realizing he wet the sheets with his urine before he left—it might be amusing.

—

It was dark outside as Iason sat on the step and looked out to the borderlands. It was eerily quiet, a mere handful of hours before there was screaming from the executions and now there was silence. Every cell in his body tingled and screamed warnings of danger, something wasn't right. He waved over his servant, "Get the men ready." The servant bowed and headed off to inform the troops to suit up for battle, leaving the Prince to continue to stare off in the distance. He swore he saw a faint orange orb of light that appeared and reappeared.

He jumped to his feet, ran over to the watch guard tower and climbed all the way to the top. "Your Highness," the guards bowed upon his arrival.

"Where is the light coming from?" he asked, getting straight to the point and peering in the distance.

"The fields along the border, my Lord."

They watched as now three lights twinkled along the nighttime horizon—Iason knew very well what those lights were. "Warn the others," he ordered and swiftly climbed back down as the guards sounded the bells that warned of incoming enemies.

"Your Highness!" a leader exclaimed, appearing in his armor as he was heading to the stable to get his horse. "You don't think...!"

"They are coming right now on the border lands." Iason pointed to the distance and the man paled as he saw the faint flickering lights. This was going to be an ugly nighttime battle, there was barely any moonlight and the torches could only light up so much surface area. They were practically going into battle blindfolded.

—

Iason led the squad out the main gates, heading straight towards the three twinkling lights. But something wasn't right, they hadn't moved at all. If they were an army attacking them, shouldn't they have moved? Why hadn't they come closer into the territory? Would that not have been the whole point of attacking within the darkness?

"My Lord, your orders?" the leader asked, galloping beside him. Iason frowned as they continued to approach the three balls of light that he now could confirm were torches that were standing without people around them.

"Approach with caution." He slowed his horse, finally reaching about six yards away from it. Past the three torches was darkness, nothing but a pitch black area that seemed to never end.

"Why would they put torches up?"

Iason stiffened, "Shh, do you hear that?" Past the thudding of his heart he could hear soft distant movement as if a crowd of something was running over the leftover dried twigs from the crops.

The leader frowned, hearing the soft sound as well, he kicked the side of his horse and walked in between the torches and into the darkness. His silhouette was visible for mere seconds before he completely vanished. The whole squad didn't dare breathe, tension was thick in the air as they waited and could hear the sound of the thudding and rustling get closer—something was coming, but what was it? What ever it may be was covering a large portion of the area, which was impossible because the majority of the accused had been slaughtered!

"Fall back!" Iason ordered, backing his horse up and getting the rest of the squad to back up as well. Something wasn't right, something wasn't right! From the new further away distance they continued to wait, the sound of whatever was coming was growing louder. It wasn't horse hooves hitting the ground, it was something different. And on top of the unknown movement, there seemed to be heavy panting and snarling—it was close, it was almost here!

The sound of horse hooves pounding the earth suddenly met the Prince's ears and the leader burst out from between the torches, "Wolves—!" he started to scream, but an impossibly large wild dog lunged upward and snatched him from his saddle. He was thrown the ground and raked alive by the massive claws of the over sized wolf.

A tidal wave of black and dark colored wolves identical to the other one exploded out from the darkness, snarling and barking as they laid eyes on their prey. They charged towards the squad which caused the horses to start whinnying and snorting in terror. "Fall back!" the Prince ordered, snatching one of the torches from his squad member and throwing it to the dry and brittle harvest remains of the field. "Fall back!"

The fire immediately grew as it's flamed licked the dried fuel and spread along the patch of the field behind the men as they continued to fall back to distance themselves from the immediate threat. Several men and horses fell behind and became victim to the large wolves as Iason held the torch to the ground and urged his horse forward, leaving a trail of fire behind him as he continued to ignite the area in hope of deterring the beasts and gaining his men time to ready their weapons.

A few beasts paused as they examined the fire, but that did not stop the majority from chasing after the men. Iason just managed to get out the way as he men fired a row of arrows at the wolves who lunged towards them through the fire and were impaled by the sharp projectiles. They continued to shoot the objects through the air, hitting dozens of the dark creatures that plunged through the blaze with their fur on fire and their eyes full of hunger and blood lust.

Iason readied his cross bow and signaled half of the squad to follow him. He advanced forward on the dirt roadways between the burning fields and the forest. They reached the another angle and gained the advantage of being able to kill the ones running trough the fire. They positioned themselves and started to shoot the beasts; the odd one managed to get closer was readily stabbed by troops holding the long handled halberds. Iason kicked his horse in the side which caused it to rear up on it's hind legs and fall just in time to crush the wolf underneath.

After almost a full minute of attacking from both sides, he looked out to see that the wolves had stopped coming from the opening, and allowed himself to breathe a sigh.

A sickening thud caused him to jolt and he stared in horror to the troop next to him who was not wearing a helmet. In the man's head was a hand crafted axe or a tomahawk that was lodged so deep into him it was peeking out of his face on the other side. "Away from the forest!" he yelled. Seconds later he ran past the woodlands, watching as several silhouettes of bows, tomahawks and even large rocks flew through the air and into or missing his men or their horses. His horse suddenly shrilled and plummeted to the ground as a flying weapon slit it's throat. Iason hit the dirt, but ignored the momentary pain and immediately sprung up and readied his sword as the war cry of the assassins within the bushes echoed through the air.

He sliced through the armed attackers who charged at him with his sword, earning enough time to rip his shield free from the clasp on his saddle. By the light of the fire dying fire behind him, he could see just enough to block an axe that almost chopped his head off with his shield. He pushed the man back and decapitated him. A man burst through the bushes towards him with a short spear, but Iason raised his long sword and impaled him through his chest and then ripped it out as the man's eyes rolled back.

His remaining squad fought the attackers quickly and efficiently, soon diminishing the number of the foes to a mere handful who fought back with long handled tomahawks. Iason sliced one of them in half effortlessly and watched the two pieces fall to the ground. Once the last one had fallen to the ground, they waited, expecting more to emerge but none did. They listened for the sound of movement above the crackling of the fires, but nothing appeared to be running away or towards them.

Iason sheathed his sword in his holder attached to his blood covered armor and clothing. He accepted the hand of one of the squad members and hopped up on the horse in front of him and led the remaining members back to the castle—there were only seven out of nineteen left. They had underestimated the opposition.


	18. Tying Up The Loose Ends

Iason opened the door to the smaller room and walked towards the intoxicated and passed out mongrel. He had just washed off the blood from his hands and changed into another outfit. He ran a thumb along the boy's cuffed and bandaged wrist, marveling at the tanned skin but also grimacing at the bandage. Something about the darker skin drew him in, it was darker than all the half bloods and it was smooth, not rough like he had always imagined the beasts would be. His hand traced upwards to the boy's neck and he was fascinated by how warm the boy was to his touch.

Riki moaned softly in his sleep, arching into the gentle caress which caused the Prince to freeze. Such a sensitive body, such a stubborn beast, such a prized possession—and it belong solely to him. Iason brushed his hand through the mongrel's midnight locks and then departed from the room for the night. Tomorrow he would return and get Raoul to check the healing process.

—

He rolled over, his fuzzy vision not adjusting in the darkness. He was surprised that his body wasn't aching like before, maybe whatever that kid gave him really would keep him numb for awhile. But even if it numbed his pain, he couldn't help but notice that his chest was one again a gaping hole. The alcohol had finally worn off, replacing the warm and fuzzy feeling of the effects with a raw and ice cold pain. He gritted his teeth as the reality of his situation came crashing back down like a stampede of mustangs trampling him.

"Awake?" a voice asked.

Riki immediately gulped back his sorrow, terror filling his veins like a torrent of lava as he stiffened into a petrified state. His eyes finally made out the silhouette of a man right beside him, by instinct he released a strangled scream before he could stop it. He tried to move away, but hands grasped onto him and pulled him back before he could get away. He attempted to scream words, but all that came out were breathy squeaks before a hand clamped down on his mouth. The mongrel breathed heavily against the fabric of the glove on the hand, his muffled squeaks getting trapped from notifying others.

"Screaming is distasteful unless it's during punishment," the voice mocked.

Finally recognizing who exactly was in the room with him, he stopped screaming and waited for the hand to be removed. He glared up at the figure slowly coming into focus. How long had he been there?

The Prince sat down on the side of the bed, "Care to tell me who gave you that bruise on your face?" He reached out and touched the darkened area which caused Riki to flinch, but what shocked him was how surprisingly gentle it was. "I'll find out who it was anyways." A grin formed on his face, "What I'd really like to know is how much wine you drank yesterday."

Riki tensed, how did he know? Had one of the servants ratted him out? That was when a scent met his nose, it was a distinct scent that wasn't pleasant. He moved his legs and noticed they felt a bit sticky and... why was it wet? His face paled as he put it all together. Oh no...

Iason pulled back the sheets, which sent a wave of the smell wafting into the air. "It appears you're not house trained, wolf cub." He lifted the stained sheet closer to the mongrel's nose, "You act all high and mighty, yet you wet the bed. How embarrassing for a boy who's almost a man."

The boy hung his head in shame and then moved it away from the stained sheet. He had honestly wet the bed at his age, oh God, it was humiliating! When had he done it? He couldn't remember anything after the servant gave him that remedy for the pain and his last cup of wine.

"Now I'll have to wash you after the servants change the bedding," Iason continued, thoroughly enjoying the embarrassment of his prideful mongrel. Oh how he loved knocking the stubborn beast off his high horse. He unclasped the chain from the clip and gave it a soft tug, "Come on, the servants are waiting."

As if on cue, the door opened, letting in light that blinded Riki so much his eyes watered. They walked in, bowing to Iason before they started to take the sheets off the bed. Iason pulled Riki close to him, avoiding contact with his back and made him watch as they stripped the sheets and started to put new ones on. Riki ground his teeth together, loathing himself for doing the act and being forced to watch it.

"Oh come now," the Prince sighed, gently caressing the tanned chest from behind. "Accidents happen. Now let's go wash you off and then we'll go see Prince Raoul, he needs to see if your wounds are healing."

—

Prince Raoul unraveled the bandage and observed the wound on the tanned wrist, "It's mostly healed. I'm going to try this cream to finish it off." He pulled out a container and dipped his gloved fingers into the cream and smeared it on to the wound. He then pressed a strip of fabric over top and held it there for a moment, and only peeked at it before tightening the bandage so his brother or the mongrel couldn't see. It worked! I didn't think it would work on a mongrel. Interesting! He studied the bandage, and traced his gloved thumb over it. "Now his back."

"Lay on your back, Riki," Iason instructed, gently grasping onto his shoulder to guide it to the bed. He then pulled up Riki's black tunic slowly and carefully, revealing the marks on his exotic skin.

"Doesn't seem to be in a lot of pain," Raoul grunted, "He must have a high tolerance."

"I believe he was in pain." The Prince looked down at the healing cuts on the tanned skin. "He drank wine until he passed out."

So the servant hadn't mentioned that he was given the pain remedy? Well, he wasn't about to sell him out, he was downright grateful for the sacrifice he had made. If the Prince found out he'd be in trouble like the one who hit him was going to be.

"Well, that would suffice as a pain reliever. However, I'll give him a mild one, just in case," the green eyed Prince decided, smothering the cream along all the wound marks on the mongrel's back. "Iason, hold the fabric over this one, would you?"

Iason slipped his one hand on the fabric piece, while his other hand ran through the midnight locks in a soothing motion as Raoul continued to apply the cream to another spot the fabric couldn't reach. The sensation of the touch seemed to be amplified in sensitivity. Riki found his back arching slightly into the cool contact as it blissfully radiated across his back. He felt like he had no control over his body as the warmth of Iason immersed into the cloth and then directly into him. The heat of the Prince seemed to penetrate through the coolness of the cream and sink deep into his tissues.

"What is this cream made out of, Raoul?"

"A blend of a few potions and whatnot," he vaguely answered, pulling back the fabric slightly to stare in amazement. "It's only supposed to work for our bloodline, but somehow it accepts the mongrel. It's rather astonishing. It should be rejecting the body and creating a rash."

"How is it meant to only work for our bloodline?"

"There is a certain sequence of potions that mix with our blood, and this happens to have those properties. See?" He ripped the fabric off the remainder of the wounds. Iason breath caught as the mongrel's wounds started to close up—in an oddly similar fashion to his own. Iason made eye contact with Raoul, his glacial blue eyes warning him to silence. "Well, the wounds will heal quickly with this. But I'll bandage his back as well."

—

"Do you feel any pain, Riki?" the Prince inquired as he led Riki out of the room.

Riki shook his head with excessive effort as his body had seemed to slow down. He felt like a slippery fish that was only capable of flopping around on the ground. His head felt like it was stuffed with feathers, and he wobbled as his limbs turned to mush.

Iason caught him, a look of distress flickered on his features before he masked it. "Riki?"

Raoul strode over, pulling the mongrel back to take a look at him. "I gave him the mildest pain reliever... why in the world...?" His eyes studied the limp boy, "I think he must be sensitive to a few of the ingredients. He'll have to rest until it wears off, he can hardly stand let alone function. It should wear off in a few hours."

The Prince clicked his tongue as he scooped the mongrel up into his arms and headed back to the room. "You are just a handful of trouble, wolf cub." He sighed and entered his room, heading towards the back room. He laid the mongrel on the bed and stripped him of his clothing. After chucking them to the side, he rose and lit a few candles that were on the walls around them and then returned to the boy.

Riki stared up into the blue eyes and wondered at what could be going on in the man's brain. There were so many things he wanted to know, why was there a child crying, had Guy died, would he be locked up in here forever?

Iason reached out and gently ran his thumb along the pale pink lips, marveling at the rough and yet soft feeling. Everything about Riki seemed to speak to some carnal nature rooted within. It was as if Riki could awaken a bestial side in him that was horrifically aroused each time he touched the tawny flesh. He wanted to devour him, he wanted to own Riki inside and out by claiming his insides by marking them with his seed. He envied the mongrel who was Riki's pairing partner, he wanted Riki to belong to him and him only.

Riki watched Iason brew over something in his mind, his blue eyes clouding over to a dark shade of blue that looked like a turbulent sea. He flopped his arm upward, successfully breaking the blonde from the spell.

"Rest," Iason ordered as he stood up and backed away. "I'll check on you later."

—

The rusted iron bonds clashed loudly against the bar alongside the mangled, bloodcurdling scream that tore from the man's throat and into the air. The Prince flogged the man repeatedly with nothing aside from furious brutality in each hit. Every blow gouged deeper into the fleshy trenches on each man's back. Blood and flesh pieces splattered on the rock floors and walls, creating a splashing sound with the screams following each lash.

The main guard finally released one last agonizing cry before slouching against the holds and panting heavily to try and regain air. "Forgivemeforgivememercypleaseforgivemeforgiveme," he mumbled incoherently.

The other guards could only whimper in fear, as their blindfolded eyes prevented them from seeing what horrors were happening around them or to come. They could only wait in tension for their punishment. Was the Prince really going to kill them by whipping? Hadn't he nearly done so already? If that was his goal, then why had he stopped? Was he going to leave them to bleed out or perhaps he was going to let them succumb to infections?

Iason chucked the whip off to the side and headed towards the entrance and supply area. "You are all guilty of acting without orders," he coldly hissed. "You touched what belongs to me and you tarnished his body." He bent down and slid open the lock for the cage. "You will pay for your sins with death." The three large and pitch black ravens glided out of the cage, instantly ambushing the men and launching their knife like talons into the victims. They shriek with excitement at the new found meal after being starved, and firmly secure their claws into their prey to steady themselves as they feast. Their wings slash and bruise the men's bodies with the force of their proximity as they bury their beaks into the freshly opened wounds. The guards thrash around in the holds as they are eaten alive, their screams for mercy going unheard. After a moment of watching, Iason stepped out of the room, blocking the exit with the thick wooden board in the holders. "You are now forgiven."

—

Jak's eyes almost jumped out of his skull as he saw the Prince return with blood splatters on his clothing, but the rest of his face remained stoic, "I-Is there anything I can get you, Master?"

"Line up all the servants," he ordered and pulled a wooden chair to the middle of the room and sat down. In a moment, all the servants came running out from the back room and bowed for their Master. "Tell me. Who was in charge of Riki during the days he was locked up?" The servants raised their hands, indicating who was in charge of the slave during his confinement. "Very good, now whoever was not involved return to the back room."

Iason ascended upwards, his footsteps tapped the ground so light it was as if they were cat paws as he circled the group. "Your duty was to care for my slave, and yet," he hissed into their ears. "one of you left a mark on him without my permission."

The whole group stiffened, fearful of the fate of whoever was guilty.

"Who was the one who did it?" Iason was seething, he could not believe that his guards and his own servants had betrayed him recently. This was the second servant who was spiteful, but this time it was towards Riki not him. "If you don't come forward, I will kill you all."

"It was him!" the smallest servant blamed, pointing his finger at the larger male.

The larger male rushed forward to grab him by his collar and then started to strangle him. "You sonofabitch—!" In one smooth move he was on the floor next to the other boy who scampered away.

"So it was you?" the Prince purred seriously, grabbing the servant by his throat. "You are going to regret your actions soon enough." He tossed the boy hard towards the doors. "Jak, take care of that one. I have to deal with this one."

—

"Iason?" Raoul called, staring perplexedly at his brother. "What...?"

The Prince tossed the boy to the floor, "I brought you a rat to use as your next victim. Feel free to use him in the most brutal of your experiments and trials."

Prince Raoul's eyes glimmered with mischief as he looked down upon the servant, "Why, thank you. I have just the thing to test on him." He glanced up at his brother, "Care to have a seat and watch?"

—

"Milady," Leonard grinned, handing the Princess a flower that was out of her reach.

Jupiter smiled softly, "Why thank you, Leo."

"Anything for you, my love."

She blushed softly, "You never change. Ever since the day you showed up you've stayed the same."

"Am I displeasing you, my dearest?"

"No," she immediately denied, smiling as she framed his perfect face in her hands and kissed him. "I love you this way. You're so kind, gentle and polite. You're different from the other noblemen I've been around. They are greedy and barbaric."

"I am not from the noble bloodline, so it would only be natural that I am not like them," he answered, planting a kiss on her lips. "I owe your father greatly for allowing me to be with you."

"It was his way of repaying me," Jupiter explained. "Since I am the oldest, I was in charge of the younger siblings. Father rewarded me with the gift of being able to choose who I marry." She stopped and laid her head down to Leonard's chest. "I am lucky to have found you."

"One day I'll no longer be the boy you once saved." He brushed his fingers through her hair, "I'll be your husband. And will support you as you rule, my Queen."

"And you shall rule as the King," she whispered.

"No, my love," he swiftly denied. "I will not steal your throne. I will rule beside you only as your loved one."

"How very kind of you," she smirked, "Allowing me to take control while you sit back and do nothing."

"Oh don't be fooled." He released a laugh which caused a shiver of happiness to course through Jupiter's body. "Even if I am not the King," he gripped onto her hand, "I will forever be your Knight."

"Forever?"

"Forever."

—

Iason sighed as he stepped out of the room, leaving the whimpering and convulsing servant in the hands of the madman behind it. He pinched the bridge of his nose with his bare hand, since his bloodstained gloves were disposed of. He had to organize a small squad and send them into the town to ensure there were no more mongrels, as ordered by his mother. Why she was so hell bent on destroying all of them was beyond his comprehension. He knew it had to do with something more than the bloodline, but what exactly was a mystery to him.

He waved down his second captain, and ordered him to take a squad of five to patrol the borderlands and ensure there were no stragglers who were hiding in the forest or villages. The Prince was sure they would hide in the forest more than the rotten and death filled villages, but the half blood villages were small, so they should be back by evening if all was clear.

A sigh escaped him as he entered his room again and ordered the servants to prepare a bath for him. After cleaning himself again, he accepted some food from a tray along with a cup of wine and went into his mongrel's room. He took a sip of some wine before he set the cup down on the table and settled on the bed next to his sleeping wolf cub. The book full of mongrel history came flooding over him, what if Riki by chance was the fifth generation son. Wouldn't that just be something? He brushed his hand against the warm face, "Are you full of more surprises, wolf cub? Is there a secret that you don't even know lurking within your veins?"

A small protesting snarl escaped the boy's lips as he twisted away from the touch. Iason chuckled softly, and moved his hand to ruffle the midnight locks. He remembered that the legend also said that the transformation occurred during the mongrel's eighteen to nineteen years. Was it already starting and he wasn't aware because he didn't know Riki before to know if there was a difference? Was the transformation an overnight process or accumulative? All that seemed to be becoming of the relationship with the mongrel was more questions than answers. But his information on the mongrels was now not readily available as the majority of half bloods and associates were slaughtered. He might have to go do some digging on his own.

He rose, taking his wine with him to set the empty down outside on the table in his room. "Jak, please get Maria to prepare Riki a meal..."

—

"Say...why don't you ever get hurt?" The Princess questioned, watching the long blonde haired boy scoop the feed into the stalls. "You weren't hurt when you fell, and whenever you protect me, you never get hurt."

Leonard simply smiled, "Does it bother you, milady?"

"Not particularly, but I'm curious as to how you do it. The others don't notice, but I do."

"Well," he hesitated. "It's a long story. But as you know I fell from the sky. What does that make me?"

"A fallen angel?"

"I guess you could say that," he grinned. "But alas, I do actually get hurt." He pulled his knife from his boot and cut his arm below his rolled up sleeves; crimson spilled out.

Jupiter gasped and rushed forward, "Why would you...!"

"Shh, just watch, Jupiter," he instructed, guiding her eyes to his arm. The wound started to disappear, closing up right before their eyes. He wiped his arm and showed her, "See?"

"Impossible."

Leonard released a bark of laughter, "My wound healing is impossible, but me falling from the sky is not?" He grinned widely, "Your logic is intriguing."

Jupiter grasped onto his arm, "If you are indeed an angel, then your blood would be the purest in the land."

"Possibly."

"Princess Jupiter?" a maid called in the distance.

"You're being called," Leonard softly pointed out. "I have to finish tending the horses. Go before you get into trouble."

"You don't deserve to be doing this job, it's too impure."

Leonard set the pitch fork down and pulled off his glove and touched Jupiter's face, "As long as I can stay by your side, I'm content."

The Princess shook her head, "You deserve to be in better conditions, after all you've done." She stomped her foot, "I will convince father to let you be one of my servants!"

—

His nose twitched at the scent wafting through the room as his eyes snapped open. What was that glorious smell? He started to salivate as he dragged his numb body to the edge of the bed where the scent was dispersing from underneath the tray lid. He threw it off and was overwhelmed by the platter underneath. He started to salivate more as he eyed up the dish of meat drenched in gravy, it looked so good. Without further hesitation he grabbed onto the meat slices and started to devour them, ripping them apart with his sharp teeth. More, more, more! He needed more! He was starving, he needed more!

The door opened and Jak stepped in, freezing as he saw Riki tearing apart the meat. He hesitantly approached, bringing him a chalice of wine. "Are you thirsty, Riki?"

Without a pause in his carnivorous eating, he snatched the cup and washed down the food greedily. He polished off the weak wine with disappointment and looked up at Jak, "How...much longer...do I stay..." he whispered in a raspy voice.

Jak took back the cup, "Until the Prince wishes otherwise I'm afraid."

Riki sighed, his body seemed to finally be waking up and he didn't feel any pain. He sat up, stretching his limbs as his body gained it's second life. Maybe it was because he hadn't eaten meat in awhile, but it filled his belly happily compared to the bread. His body felt alive, but his insides and mind were still plagued with sorrow. He still wanted to curl into a ball and sob knowing that his pairing partner was dead while he survived. Oh how he wished that death were an option as a means to gain freedom, but after attempting twice and failing, it seemed it was a losing battle. He exhaled a shaky sigh and flopped over on the bed, "Wine..."

"I'm afraid I cannot give you anymore," Jak apologized. Riki ground his teeth together, abruptly standing up and pushing past him to get to the exit. "Wait, Riki!"

Completely ignoring the frantic servant he burst through the door, scaring the wits out of Daryl who was tending to the room. He immediately trudged over to the liquor cabinet and brutally kicked in the door, effectively breaking it open.

"You can't!" Daryl growled, trying to grab hold of Riki.

Riki pushed him back with as much force as he could and snatched two bottles of booze. Jak tried to grab the bottles, but Riki easily kept them from his grasp. Daryl once again was trying to tackle him to the ground by grabbing onto his waist and shoving him. Riki twisted in the grip and sent both of the servants to the floor before he made his way back to his room. He hurriedly popped open a bottle and started to chug it back as Daryl barged in once again.

"I insist you hand over the drink right now, Riki!" he demanded, "The Prince told us to not give you anymore alcohol. He will punish you if you do not stop right now."

"Fuck...you.." Riki hissed, continuing to gulp down the liquid. It burned all the way down his throat, leaving his insides with a warm sensation. What was this stuff? It tasted odd, but it was wine.

"Riki!" Jak shouted, "Please just hand it over!"

Riki polished off the bottle just as Daryl charged forward. He dodged the servant only to suddenly wobble over, his legs turning to mush beneath him. Daryl ended up catching him just as Jak saved the other bottle of wine from smashing on the ground alongside the empty one. With a grunt, Daryl dragged him over to the bed and laid him down. "Go get Master," he barked to Jak as he pulled a sheet over the boy's naked body and rested a hand on the huffing boy's chest. "What is going on?" The wine shouldn't have had this kind of effect on him, what was going on?

—

Iason rushed to his room from his office with Jak nipping at his heals after he was informed of what happened to Riki. He burst into his room and then towards Riki's. "Prepare a stomach remedy that will make him expel the drink." He pushed open the door and saw Daryl sitting worriedly with the mongrel, "You can go, Daryl. I'll handle this."

Daryl nodded and bowed, "I'm sorry we failed you, Master."

Iason regarded him for a moment, "We will talk later," he answered, walking around the shattered bottle pieces to his mongrel. "What's wrong, wolf cub?" He pulled his new gloves off with his teeth and rested his bare hand on Riki's heaving chest. He pulled his hand back which was drenched with sweat that was caking the slave's body. What in the world was going on with him? This wasn't what one of his wines or remaining poisoned wines would do.

Jak entered with a bottle of liquid and wet cloth, and quickly handed them off to Iason. "Shall I wipe him down?"

"No, you're free to leave now."

Riki started to turn away from the Prince, his trembling arm outstretched so he could attempt to drag himself away. Iason set the closed bottle on the bed and caught the boy's body in his grasp. The mongrel released a muffled protest and gripped onto Iason's hand and dug his sharp nails in to make him let go.

"What is happening to you?" the Prince questioned, ripping his hand free and running the cloth down Riki's chest. He watched the mongrel's body arch into the touch, but he still struggled to get away. Iason leaned down and inhaled the scent of the wine, the distinct scent aroma him and he realized what had happened. "You've created your own demise, wolf cub." He threw the cloth away and slid his hand up to one of the boy's nipples and started to play with it, delighted as Riki shivered. He turned to look at the door where the servant was about to leave from. "We won't be needing this remedy, Jak. Instead, please inform Prince Raoul to give you the remedy for 'The Rogue'." Iason stared down at Riki with blue eyes twinkling of mockery, "You drank one of my aphrodisiac wines, wolf cub. Now I have the perfect opportunity to punish you."

—

"Huu...ngh..." Riki moaned as he twisted against the hold. God his body was on fire! It wasn't as bad as the one time, but it hit his body with a completely different feeling. The worst one created a smooth sensation that had every fiber of his being in pleasure ad he couldn't stop coming, but this one created a rough itch that was driving him mad. He couldn't cum. Every time his climax would build up, he would just be about to release and go over the edge, but then it would all disappear. Regardless of the excruciating pain from the ring on his cock poking his flesh, he would still reach the heights of ecstasy only to have it ripped away and start over. It was agony. Riki glared up at the Prince who was sitting comfortably at the edge of the bed in one of his comfier chairs he asked Daryl to bring in, but the intense blue eyes staring back at him just seemed to fuel the flames within him.

"How does it feel?" he asked in a cold tone as he narrowed his eyes to the mongrel's. "You can pierce me with your gaze all you want, but it was you who did this to yourself." He grasped onto the cup of wine Daryl brought him and took a sip.

Riki's hips started to buck again as his climax began to build once more. Pleasure seemed to shoot from his loins and radiate throughout his whole body which made him pant and writhe. He was close, so close! Maybe...maybe this time...!

"A...ahh...!" he gasped, his whole body tensing up painfully as it was about to explode in pleasure. But yet again, like a candle being blown out all the pleasure was gone, leaving his erection standing tall and only the pain from the ring. "Hnn! St...op!"

"What's the matter, Riki? Can you not reach release?" the Prince taunted as he set his wine down and rose from his chair to head over to the bed. In a few swift motions he was behind Riki with the struggling and panting mongrel in between his legs. "Daryl," he ordered while slipping his hand down to tease the boy's twitching opening.

Riki started to feebly thrash around, but his arms which were bound above his head prevented him from fighting with all of his abilities. In a split second he was trapped by the Prince's arm, and the familiar hand started to roll his nipple in between the capable fingers. "Kuu...hnnngh...!" Riki moaned while biting his lips. "St...op...you...!"

Daryl crawled up between the mongrel's legs, dodging the attempt made to kick him in the face. He looked to the Prince for permission and then dipped his head down and took Riki into his mouth.

"Gah! A..ahh...!" Riki cried out, his body jolting from the attacks on his sensitive areas. "No...s...st...ah...p...!"

Iason thrust two of his fingers into the twitching cavern and scissored repeatedly. "You say stop when your body says continue. I think your body is more honest," he smirked.

Daryl licked up and down Riki's shaft before taking him in the mouth again and teased the slit with his tongue. "Mm..."

"Ah...Go...d...no..!" Riki gasped, his body betraying him as his hips pushed forward into Daryl's mouth. "Stop...please!"

The Prince rammed his fingers up into Riki as the boy's insides clenched down as if he were ejaculating. He nibbled on the boy's ear, delighting in the sound of Riki crying in desperation for release as it was denied again. "You'll endure this as many times as I see necessary," he purred darkly into the mongrel's ear. "Until you learn that you're my slave I will not let you cum... You belong to me, Riki."

—

He laid against the sheets, his body completely worn out but his penis remained partially erect even though the pleasure was gone again. He still hadn't come and it had been hours already. Tears dropped down from his eye and added to his stained cheeks as the agony of denied release was almost unbearable.

Iason traced his hand on the worn out body, "Say it. Say what you need."

"Please...pl...let me..." he begged in a weepy whisper, his dark eyes glistening as he stared up to his tormentor.

The Prince smiled as he leaned down and kissed the enticing bitten lips that quivered on the messy tanned face. "Good boy." He grasped gently onto the boy's penis and carefully removed the ring before he grabbed the vile of fluid that Jak had brought in awhile ago. He pressed it to the boy's lips and poured it into his mouth. Iason slid his hand down to Riki's overly sensitive and aching penis and started to pump it in his hand. Riki jolted and screamed out in pain as the Prince continued. He begged for him to stop through tears, but a lingering kiss to his lips silenced him.

After a full minute of the deep kiss and painful contact, Riki came in Iason's hand as he released a guttural scream of pleasure and pain. His whole body seemed to tighten up and then snap before trembling endlessly. His sweat caked chest heaved up and down as his heart pounded against his ribs.

Iason stared down at the trembling boy, enjoying the sound of him moaning as several waves of the aftermath of his orgasm hit him. "Mine..." he growled, running his fingers along the twitching lips.

—

Riki pried open his eyes, his body was so sore that he didn't dare to move. "J...Jak..." he called out weakly, hoping that someone would bring him something to aid his parched throat.

Miraculously, the servant entered the room carrying the object of his thoughts in his hands. He handed it off to Riki, but kept his hand on the chalice to steady it. "Here you are," he whispered.

Riki greedily gulped it down, appreciating each drop of the liquid that eased his throat. "T...thank you..."

"Rest for a bit longer, it's still the wee hours of the morning," Jak encouraged, "Master will be checking on you sometime later."

"How long...was I out?"

"Two days."

Damn. He was out two days and his body was still in such rough condition? Man, the Prince really did a number on him. He winced as his penis rubbed against the sheets. Fuck, it felt like his dick was rubbed raw from all the touching and sucking it endured! It hurt so bad, how would he pee? It hurt to move it let alone do anything else!

Jak pulled out a container from one of his pockets and set it down in front of him, "That's a numbing and healing cream..." He coughed, "For your..."

Riki snatched the container and immediately ripped off the lid to get some of the cream on his fingers. He shot a glare at Jak who turned away and headed for the door to give the mongrel some privacy, as he did not think Riki would let him tend to him. Once he was alone, Riki held his breath and started to lather the cream on his penis. He hissed in pain as his fingers barely touched it. What ever was in the damn drugged wine had made him incredibly sensitive down there and he hated it. After it was covered, he threw the container at the wall. Riki covered up with the sheets and curled into himself angrily, he wanted out of this cage. Enough was enough already! He wanted fresh air and sunshine, he wanted outside of these walls!

His brain suddenly brought forward the memory of the Prince and him shooting arrows. A flurry of a warm sensation filled his chest as he remembered the Prince praising him for his talent and smiling so brightly. Riki quickly shook his head. No, no, no, no! He was a captive man against his will! He could not afford to take anything the Prince said to him to heart! He groaned as he rolled over, wasn't he just a slave? Why would the Prince care enough to make time for him? Why was this so confusing?


	19. The Calm Before The Storm

"Just tell me what you desire and I will do my best," the boy promised. "I brought you to his mate and showed you where the others were, did I not?"

"Yes you did," Iason nodded.

"How can I be of help to you then?"

"Do you know if there is anyone left who might know about the past of the mongrel clan?" the Prince inquired, piercing the boy with his blue eyes.

The boy leaned back and bit his lip, hesitation plastered to his face as he debated telling the Prince that he knew were more half bloods were hiding. "If I tell you, it will be for a price," he bargained, knowing he was playing with fire by even suggesting something like that to the future King.

"Naturally," Iason agreed, waving one of his servants over with a bag of coins. "Our deal still applies, this is just a bonus." He brought his gaze to the woven sack, "If you know anything consider this an extra."

The middle class boy stared down at the bag, then back to Iason. "There is one Elder left. She might know something of interest."

"And where might she be located?"

—

Riki hissed as the warm water hit his body, it was euphoria to his aching body but also torture as it made his body hurt more. He was so sore from the Prince punishing him. His penis was still aching and burned when the heat touched it.

Iason slipped behind him, enveloping the mongrel into his arms. "It's too early to have a scowl on your face, slave. Enjoy a warm bath before our busy day starts."

"It hurts," Riki seethed, shooting a glare up into the cool blue eyes.

"What does?" the Prince questioned playfully, gliding his hand under the water to grasp onto the boy's penis. "This? Does this hurt?"

Riki yowled in protest, twisting to push on the man's sculpted chest to get away. Fuck! It hurt so bad to touch it! "Ow! Let go! It fucking—hurts!"

"That's what punishment does," the Prince coldly answered, "It hurts so you learn to not repeat your actions."

"Why did you...punish me? I did nothing!"

Iason pushed Riki forward off the ledge and into the deeper part. His blue eyes watched the boy sink down before coming back up and sputtering water.

"What the hell?" he shrieked in a broken voice, swimming and sitting gingerly on the other edge so his penis was safe.

Iason reached out his hand, "Come back here."

"You just pushed me away!"

"I said come, Riki!"

Riki scowled, but slowly made his way back to the blonde, knowing he was in no shape to get away as he could barely move his limbs they hurt so much. His breath caught as he was pressed against Iason, his penis squished between their bodies and sent pain shooting into his lower half. He screamed and started to thrash around to free himself.

Iason roughly grabbed the tanned chin and brought it up so they were peering straight into each others eyes. "If you do not know what you were punished for, you are incredibly dense."

"I drank your wine, was that really worth hours of torture?" he spat, glaring his dark eyes at the man.

"I didn't have to punish you for that, you brought on the punishment for that yourself," the Prince retorted and tightened his grip, satisfied when Riki winced. "You tried to kill yourself and in the hands of someone other than me. That is what I punished you for. Frankly, I feel you deserve more punishment for that."

"He was my mate! And you stole him from me, you bastard!" Riki started to struggle again as he screamed angrily, "I just want to be free! Why can't you just kill me so I can be free? Just let me go, dammit!"

"Never," Iason hissed dangerously, wrapping his arms around Riki and hauling him out of the tub.

"Let go, dammit!" he demanded, thrashing his slippery body around in hopes of freeing himself. He ignored the pain and started to pound his fists against the pale skinned back, wishing that for once it would do something. "Oof!"

Iason threw him on the bed, before climbing over top of him. The servants in the room immediately exited and headed to their back room. "There would be no point in killing you," he explained, lowering himself down so their bodies were touching. Riki tried to squirm away, but Iason easily gripped onto him and descended himself directly onto Riki to pin him down. "You are priceless now. A rare gem that is still in need the rough."

"I'm not a fucking—"

"Oh but you are," Iason insisted, shifting his knee between Riki's and brought it close to the boy's penis while he slid his hand on the bronze skin.

"Don't!"

"Who do you belong to, Riki?" the Prince rumbled in his ear. "It's time to stop running from reality and accept it."

"I belong to no one!"

Iason sighed internally and bit on the exposed tanned ear, "Wrong answer."

Riki recoiled, only succeeding in causing Iason's teeth to dig deeper and his penis to come into contact with the Prince's knee. "Aughh!" he screamed at the attacks, grabbing onto Iason's hair and giving it a hard tug.

Iason frowned and pressed his knee harder against Riki's penis, "Let go," he ordered coldly while still biting.

"Nngh!" Riki sounded through gnashed teeth, biting back his scream of agony and tugged harder. He dug his fingers into the hair and scraped his nails across the Prince's scalp.

The man glowered and abruptly pushed hard into Riki's penis, causing the boy to jolt and scream from the pain and let go. He gripped onto the collar and pulled upwards, "The more you resist, the more pain you'll receive. Were you not satisfied with the hours of punishment?" He threw Riki hard down on the bed and turned to the back room door, "Daryl! Bring me the paddle!"

"Don't you dare!" Riki snarled, struggling to get away. Iason easily snatched his aching body and soon he was staring at the floor over the Prince's knee. He wiggled in the hold, but the man had an iron grip over half of his body while his other hand remained free for the paddle.

"How many strikes, wolf cub?" Iason hissed lowly, adjusting his grip on the paddle that Daryl handed off.

"You fucker!" the mongrel screeched, clawing the carpet fibers to gain momentum.

The Prince simply tightened his hold and then smacked the bare ass cheeks with the paddle with brutal force. He was satisfied as the mongrel yelped and watched as the tawny skin gained a new hue of pink where the flesh had been hit. "I think ten will suffice."

Riki writhed as Iason smacked his defenseless ass with the paddle and dug his nails further into the carpet. "I hate you!" Two solid bashes landed on his ass in succession which sent tears to the dark eyes.

"Apologize, and I'll forgive your behavior."

"Fuck you!"

"You are. My. Slave," Iason growled as he landed three hits in a row on the boy's ass cheeks, watching as with each hit they gained a darker shade of pink and started to turn red.

"No!" Riki sobbed, jerking his legs around to get free of the hold. "I belong to—"Another hard hit. "No one!"

Thoroughly irked by the mongrel's lack of submission, Iason threw the paddle down with a clatter and pulled his glove off with his teeth. "You are my slave, Riki. I purchased you!" He slapped Riki's ass firmly with his hand, "You. Belong. To. Me!"

Riki's whole body shook as sobs wracked through him, his throat convulsing so much that speech was no longer possible. He jerked forward and released a mangled cry as he felt the Prince's hand grabbed onto his penis roughly while the other hand landed several slaps to the stinging flesh.

"Daryl!" the Prince called as he ripped Riki back upwards from escaping and slapped the now red flesh again and again.

"No...!" Riki wailed as he felt Daryl hold him still on Iason's lap. He screamed as the Prince continued to pump his penis with one hand while delivering several blows to his trembling behind with the other. "Stop...auuugh...st...!"

Iason ran his nails over the boy's stinging ass before roughly groping it. "You belong to me and I can do with you what I please." He rammed two fingers into Riki's hole, tightening his grip on the boy's penis as the body thrashed from the pain of the dry penetration and contact with his member. "Accept your fate!"

The mongrel bawled and writhed in agony against the hold of Daryl and his tormentor. "No...more! Pl...please!"

"Apologize and accept your fate!"

"I'm...s—sorry!" Riki howled, "For—give me! I'm—"

Iason yanked his fingers out, and signaled Daryl to let go as well. Untouched by the crying, Iason rose and moved to another chair to watch Riki in while Daryl brought him a glass of wine before returning to the back room. Riki slipped down onto the floor and curled up into the fetal position while sobbing uncontrollably at the brutal punishment. He curled into himself as tight as he could while his frame shook from the crying, his back to the Prince.

The Prince silently watched his distressed mongrel lay on the floor, crossed his legs and sipped his wine. Several moments later he was unable to listen to the mongrel's howling cries of agony anymore because for some odd reason it put him off. "Come, wolf cub."

Riki just shook his head while he still trembled in pain, refusing to return to the tormentor. "L—Leave me alone!"he screeched in sobs, "You've taken—everything from me! Just—leave me— alone!"

"Riki, I swear to the gods if you don't come here this instant I will paddle you to within an inch of your life," he demanded icily.

The mongrel just shook his head as the hot tears continued to stream down from his eyes, "No..." he sobbed in a whisper.

"Riki, do not make me repeat myself."

But he wouldn't move. How could he? Why should he go back to the person who just brutally hurt him? He stifled a sob and strained himself to uncurl. Each movement was agony, everything hurt. He couldn't roll onto his back because his ass would hit the ground and he couldn't roll onto his stomach because his penis would touch the floor. He gritted his teeth as his body trembled, he forced himself immediately to his knees in a crawling position so his punished areas would not come into contact with the floor.

"Come, Riki," Iason called frigidly, allowing the mongrel a moment to regain himself as the boy was trembling from the pain of the attacks and soreness of the last punishment.

Shaking violently, Riki dragged himself over to Iason, hating every fiber of his being for being in such a pitiful position in front of this man. Finally reaching the Prince he couldn't help but grip onto the man's breeches; clinging desperately for support. He raised his head, his dark eyes radiating his fury towards his captor.

Iason calmly held his gaze while he felt the shaking mongrel hang on to him so he wouldn't fall down. He reached out to grasp the defiant slave's chin. "Good boy," he purred darkly. He leaned forward and gripped onto the trembling boy and pulled him into his lap.

Riki hissed in pain as his ass met the Prince's knee, but was quickly silenced. Iason wrapped his arms around him gently and pulled him close. Unsure of what was going on, Riki stiffened defensively even though he had no strength or will left to attempt to fight.

"Why can you not behave?" Iason chided, wiping away the tears from the stained cheeks. "You are a rare beauty, Riki. I want to keep you with me, not have to constantly punish you for misbehaving. But if you keep acting like this you leave me no other choices."

Riki turned his head away, "I'm...not a..."

"Yes, you are," the Prince sighed. "There are documents that were signed. They legally proclaim that you are indeed a slave. And my signature on the papers identify me as your Master." He gently ran his thumb over the tanned cheek, "Just give it up, Riki. There is nothing outside these walls that will be good for you. If you leave you'll go back to poverty in the outcast lands. Do you really want that?"

No, he really didn't want to go back to that. But was it so wrong to be lonely and yearning for someone like his mate to be with him? He wasn't used to this lifestyle. "It's..." he started then bit his lip.

Iason brushed his thumb over the lips, "It's?" he prompted.

"I'm not a slave," Riki replied sadly, turning his face away from Iason. "You can't make me something I'm not."

The Prince just sighed, "You will accept it one day." He changed the subject, "Like I said before this incident. We have a busy day. Let's get going before we are late for breakfast."

"What?"

Iason stood up, supporting Riki as well, "Jak, bring out Riki's attire and the leash."

Riki shot a glare at him, "Why—?"

"After that tantrum you pulled? You are back on leashes."The mongrel ground his teeth together, prepared to fire back several retorts. "If you dare protest I will whip you so badly you will not be able to move any body part and I'll force feed you aphrodisiacs."

Riki swallowed back the words, but kept his piercing gaze upon the Prince. He diverted his gaze as he saw the outfit from the masquerade. He expelled a shaky breath, "I'm not wearing that."

"So you do enjoy being stuffed full of aphrodisiacs and paralyzed?"

"Why can I not just wear normal clothes!"

"You're still being punished," the Prince curtly, grabbing onto the collar around the boy's neck roughly and bringing him closer so he could latch the chain on after he was dressed. "I thought we were past all of this, but it seems your thick mongrel skull just cannot comprehend obedience."

Jak stepped forward with the clothing, prepared to dress the mongrel. Riki slapped away his hands, "Don't touch me. I can do it myself." He snatched the bottom and stepped into it carefully so he didn't cause any pain and waited for the top.

Iason snatched the top piece and slipped it over Riki's head, "Push your arms through," he instructed. Riki grudgingly obeyed and Iason pulled the top piece down and rested his hand against the mongrel's chest, "There. Now you're ready to come with me."

A knock on the door had both their heads turn, "Prince Iason?" a voice on the other side called.

He pushed Riki down on the bed, smirking as he winced from the pain. "Behave," he warned before he headed to the door and opened it. "Yes?"

In a voice so soft the person mumbled something about a Prince and request. Riki strained his ears but was unable to make out the words properly. Finally Iason turned to look back at Riki, "I'll be back in one moment, don't cause any trouble."

Riki scowled, but sat there and watched him leave. Once the door closed, he shot a death glare at Jak and Daryl.

"I'm sorry, Riki," Jak apologized, "We—"

"Raaaaaaa!" a small voice shrilled.

Riki flinched at the sound of the child's voice and watched a small boy toddle over from the back room directly towards him. "Who is that?"

"Ah! You can't come out of there!" Jak panicked, scooping up the boy as he was about to run straight to Riki.

"Na! Ma!" he protested, squirming in the servant's arms and pointing to Riki like his life depended on it. "Bah! Na! Ma!"

"Yes, yes, yes, quiet down now, shhhh," Jak soothed.

Riki stood up slowly, "Is that a...?"

"The Prince saved this half blood from the executions," he explained, adjusting his grip on the eagerly squirming child. "Fine, here!"

Riki jumped as the child was handed off to him, "I don't want—!"

"Bah!" the boy grinned, clasping onto Riki as tight as he could. "Bah! Nama!"

"Nama?" Riki blinked at the term used by the boy, and realized that he was speaking some of the older dialect from the Clan. "Nama teh kui?" he asked.

The boy nodded wildly and pointed his small finger at Riki, "Nama nama!"

Daryl's eyebrows flew up into his hairline, "What are you saying? What is he saying? We thought he couldn't talk..."

"I'm not sure, he's not making any sense to me," Riki answered, turning his attention back to the boy. "Nama teh kui? Aku?"

"Namaaaaaa!" the boy insisted in a whiny voice. "Nama cere revi tirian !"

Riki froze, stared directly into the boy's eyes and then pushed him back into Jak's arms. "Here. He's saying he needs to go to the bathroom."

Jak fumbled with the child in his arms and carried him to the back room as fast as he could while the boy continued to repeat the phrase.

Riki sat back down slowly on the bed, the phrase replaying in his brain. Nama cere revi tirian, Nama cere revi tirian ... Why did some of it sound familiar? But it was all jumbled, nothing made sense...

Iason opened the door and strode in, unaware of what had occurred and immediately grasping onto Riki's chain. "Come on, let's go."

Riki rose and followed, all the thoughts were pushed out of his mind as he felt a tug on his collar and saw the blue eyes flicker to darkness warning obedience.

—

He slowly sat down at the Prince's feet and winced as pain shot through his rear as it touched the ground. The mongrel hissed in pain as his weight was set onto the sore behind and he moved to a crouching position.

"Looks to be in pain now," Raoul noted, his eyes wandering the mongrel's body and then landing on the reddened skin near his covered backside. "Ah, I see."

"Leave it alone, Raoul. He's being obedient right now, don't fuel him to lash out again," Iason warned coldly.

"I could care less what it does," Prince green eyes huffed. "You are going to the party tonight?"

"I had planned to," Iason answered, picking up a piece of an apple slice and lowering it to Riki's lips.

"Do you want one of mine to accompany you?"

"I am taking my own slave, Raoul." Iason pressed the apple slice into Riki's mouth, "He just won't be participating in anything."

"And why not?"

"He has not been trained to be viewed by anyone but me," the Prince defended. "Therefore, he'll be unable to preform."

"That's not a problem," Raoul dismissed. "Orphe brought in his new collection of fresh slaves for the party. Just let him be in the group with them."

"I refuse."

"Iason."

"Enough Raoul, we will talk later."

What party are they going to? I thought there was a war going on...how long have I been locked away? Surely it hasn't been too long... Riki mulled through his brain trying to figure out how long he had been trapped in the dark hole of a bedroom. There was no way to tell time when he was locked up, no windows to show it was night or day. Wait, how many meals had he eaten or refused. His forehead creased as he pushed through the blur of darkness and light and tried to count the meals, but they all seemed to blend into one. His heart started to ache as his mind went past the darkness and back into the cell with Guy.

"Riki," an annoyed voice called. He jolted from his brain, nearly toppling over as he flinched from the food in front of him. He caught himself and reached up to take the piece and the popped it into his mouth, glancing up to see an unhappy expression on the Prince's face. "Pay attention."

Riki huffed and rolled his eyes, he should have known he didn't even have the freedom to think. Fuck sake, soon he wouldn't even have the freedom to wipe his own ass. Oh God, please no. Don't let it get that bad. He yelped as his ass hit the floor after receiving a tug on the chain and glared up at the man with glistening eyes, but bit his tongue. Fucking asshole, son of a bitch, motherfucker, cock sucking—

"Open." Riki pressed his lips firmly together, not accepting the food pressed to his mouth. "Riki, open," Iason repeated. Riki turned away and pulled his knees up to his chest, ignoring the pain.

"Is it sick?" Raoul asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, he's sulking."

"Shall I prepare something for him to be cured for the party?"

"Might do some good," he sighed. "Go, since you're not going to eat." Iason waved away the mongrel, and signaled a servant to trail behind him so he got back to the room safely. "Lock him in his room."

—

Riki marched into his own room and headed directly to his bed, cursing the Prince with each breath. There was no way in fucking hell he was going to any damn party and there was sure as hell no way he was going to behave. He carefully sat down on the bed and curled into himself, completely and utterly pissed off. Something was wrong with him, he felt like his emotions were a herd of loose horses, they were going every direction. His eyes started to water as a huge lump formed in his throat and a sob came tearing out, he buried his face into the bedding and wet the material with his hot tears.

"W..why...why me?" he heartrendingly sobbed, gripping onto the sheets as his body shook. The tears seemed to just pour out of him as if they were a stream that was coursing downhill, and his chest was aching with the familiar emptiness. He was so tired, in pain and sad he didn't even attempt to sit up, he just laid there on the bed while the sadness consumed him.

For the first time in a long time, he actually called out to an ancestor. He cried out and pleaded to The Nameless One until he couldn't move his lips anymore he was so weak. Oh how he wished The Nameless One would take pity on one of it's children and kill him, since God seemed to not be open to requests at that moment in time. Why would The Nameless One finally speak to him like his father had said he would? Why was he ignoring him? He thought The Nameless One was supposed listen, but apparently he wasn't ready to hear the voice.

His father hadn't told him a lot, but he did know a little bit. The Nameless One was the spirit who would speak to you in your darkest days, at least that's what he was told. The Nameless One is different for everyone if they opened their minds and hearts to accept it. But his father said that he was special, and not just because he was the son of the clan leader. He said that he would obtain more than The Nameless One's guidance, but he was never told what that entitled. His father had said that when the time came he would tell him, and on his death bed, he wasn't even able to speak.

So where was the promised Nameless One's guidance and help now? Wasn't it a bit overdue? Hadn't he suffered enough to earn it? How much more would he have to go through until he was finally let in on the secrets?

—

Iason entered his room, his temper boiling over as he strode over to Riki's while carrying the container of fluid that Raoul had given him. The mongrel would need it, one wrong move from him right now and his ass and penis wouldn't be the only thing smarting. Iason ripped open the door, prepared to fight with the boy, only to freeze dead in his tracks as he saw the mongrel crying. His anger immediately dialed backwards as the boy's anguished cries seemed to pierce his heart.

"Pl...p...pl...ease..." Riki sounded in a barely audible whimper to someone.

The Prince quietly padded over to the boy, surprised that there was no reaction at all from him upon his arrival. He set the crystal bottle down and sat on the corner of the bed and gently touched the tanned skin, scowling as the boy flinched. "Riki," he said softly.

"Le...leave me...alone..."

The man regarded Riki for a long, hard moment. "No," he finally declared softly.

"Huh?" Riki sniffled as he felt the sheets around him move. "N—no!"

Within mere seconds, Iason had Riki wrapped up in the blankets and over his shoulder. He moved his hand when Riki yelped at the touch to his ass and started to carry the squirming slave out the door.

"P...put me..." he mewled.

"Ssshh, I'm not going to do anything," the Prince promised, hurrying down the corridor with his bundle of mongrel over his shoulder.

Riki closed his eyes and just let himself go limp, he was too tired and hurt to balk anymore. He fought back the fresh tears that started to well up in his eyes and gulped down the lump that had formed in his throat again. He closed his eyes tightly, only feeling the movement of Iason carrying him several turns until they stopped. A sob shook his body, but it got caught in his throat as he opened his eyes and was stunned by what he saw. He felt the soft bed beneath him as the Prince laid him down gently.

"Do you like this room?" he whispered, gently running a hand along the tanned cheek.

Riki stared silently around the room, the hot tears still running down from his dark eyes. This room was beautiful to say the least. It was round, and there were several elegant marble pillars every few meters and between them were paintings in golden ornate frames. But what made Riki breathless was the ceiling again, but this one was the night sky full of stars. It was as if the ceiling were a window to view the nighttime sky on the clearest of nights. A spike of hot sadness pierced him as he remembered the nights his father would sneak him out and they would go up the secret path to the clearing. They would lay on their backs and gaze up at the stars until he dozed off in his father's warm arms. The rumbling of his father's voice telling him all about the ancestors in the dark sky would always lull him into the most beautiful dreams where he would be running in the sky with the stars.

"Riki?" Iason whispered, wiping away the tears from the stained cheek.

Instinctively Riki flinched away from the touch, "Don't..."

He ran his hand gently down the tanned body, "Just let me hold you," the Prince whispered. He pulled him closer and wrapped his arms around him and gently caressed the boy's chest. "We are going to a party with a few of my relatives tonight and I want you to be with me."

"I...don't...!" Riki gasped, shivering from the touch.

Iason grasped onto the squirming boy and held him close until he was still, but shaking softly. He rolled over onto his side, so they were laying flush together, the mongrel's heart pounding beneath his palm on the tanned chest. "Just be still," he whispered. "I just want to hold you."

Riki stiffened so much he could have been a plank of wood, his body tense beneath the Prince's gentle hands. What was going to happen? Was this the beginning of something worse to come? Was this a twisted plan to make him relax so he would be vulnerable to punishment again? He gulped down the lump that was forming in his throat. What an emotional wreck he was and there was no explanation for it. Yes, he was still mourning the loses he suffered, but this sadness was deeper. It felt like he could cry forever until his aching heart clawed its way out of his chest. The tears continued to spill, not matter how much he blinked them away or tried to hold them back.

The Prince planted a kiss on the boy's neck, "Weep no more, wolf cub." He ran his hand over the smooth skin in soothing circles, "Can I tell you about this room?" He waited for a moment and took Riki's silence as permission to continue, "Mother hates this room, she hated it so she boarded it off." He revealed, "This is the room my father used to take us into when we couldn't sleep or were crying. Apparently he used to walk us around the room until we fell asleep in his arms." He exhaled softly, "I often wonder what it would be like if he were still alive."

—

Jupiter's bloodcurdling scream echoed throughout the castle. "Leo! My...my babies...!" she sobbed, clutching onto the lifeless bundles. "LEO!" she screamed in anguish as she looked down at the two babies in her arms, their blue and green eyes glazed over with death and dried blood dripping from their mouths. "No, no, no...!" Jupiter buried her face into her precious children, the coldness of their bodies spiking fear and sadness deep into her heart. "NO!"

"Jupi—!" Leonard yelled as he burst into the room. His heart nearly stopped as he looked down upon the scene of his wife holding onto their two bloodstained sons.

Jupiter looked at Leonard with her eyes full of tears and her children's blood on her face, "Leo..."

"...I—Iason...Raoul...!" he choked as he rushed towards them and tenderly pulled his sons into his trembling hands as Jupiter wrapped her arms around him while weeping. His chest ached painfully as tears brimmed in his blue eyes as he felt the coldness of his once bright children, who could do something like this?

"Save—them, p...please—Leo!" she begged hysterically, her hot tears soaking his clothing, "Please...!"

Leonard inhaled a shaking breath before planted a kiss on Jupiter's tear stained face, "I can save them, Jupiter. I'll save them." He hugged her tightly with his free arm, "Love my sons as much as you loved me..."

—

Jupiter jolted up straight, wiping away the tears on her face. After several deep breaths she calmed her pounding heart and regained her composure. That dream again, huh? Why was it always that dream? Never had she been scared in her life until that day. The day she almost lost the two precious children which she carried for nine months and birthed with Leonard at her side. But their life came at the cost of her companion whom sacrificed himself to revive the children. Her hands started to tremble as she remembered their lifeless bodies in her hands, their necks bruised and broken as their tiny mouths remained frozen open as they had gasped for the breath that had been stolen from them.

"Your Majesty?" the maid repeated, knocking on the door again.

She inhaled another deep breath, "I'm coming. Just give me a moment."

—

Iason closed the door behind him, leaving his mongrel sleeping in the hidden chamber. He was a bit worried by the emotional state of the boy and was curious as to what caused it. Surely he wasn't still distraught about his mate or that emotional about the punishment. His nerves seemed to tense as he vaguely wondered if the emotional imbalance was a stage in the transformation process.

"Your Highness," a voice interrupted him.

He glanced up to see Katze approaching him, "Sir, I have the women you wished to speak with."

Iason nodded, pleased that Katze had found her so quickly. "Very good, let us go speak with her."

—

"Here she is, your Highness. Just as I promised," the boy smiled, eagerly awaiting more of the Prince's money.

Iason nodded, regarding the boy and the elderly lady in his office. "Yes, your cooperation is appreciated. You are free to leave now."

"You...are a terrible person," the lady spat, glaring daggers at the boy. "You've sold out many for your greedy wishes, child. May the gods have mercy on your pitiful soul."

"Hah? What do you know, you old hag?" he bristled.

"I am an Elder of the Mongrels, I see all," she answered. "The gods are upset with you, Kirie."

"You! How do you know my name?" he snapped, "You think you're so high and mighty you old sack of shit?"

Katze grabbed onto the boy as he charged forward at the lady, "Don't you dare damage her, she is of vital essence to us."

Kirie clucked his tongue and shrugged off Katze's hold. "Tell the gods that they can kiss my ass," he hissed to the lady as he grabbed his money bag and headed out the door.

The lady watched Kirie leave and then turned her eyes to the Prince, "What is it you required of an old lady like myself, Prince Iason? Have you come to kill me off too now that all my children and family are dead?"

"No," he answered softly, "I have a matter in which I'm hoping you will know some answers to."

"The Clan leader."

Iason blinked, "Pardon?"

"You believe you're holding the Mongrel Clan leader, the mongrel filled with Ceretirian's spirit do you not?" she repeated, staring up at him with her piercing hazel eyes.

"How did you...?"

"The Prophecy, child, the Prophecy."

Iason's eyes widened, thank God this Elder hadn't been executed! This might be his last chance to gain any knowledge about Riki and his people! He pulled his chair out from behind his desk and moved it closer to the women, with the flick of his hand he signaled Katze to take notes. "Will you please share your knowledge with me...miss...?"

"Rosette."

"Elder Rosette, will you share your knowledge of the mongrel clan with me?"

—

"Shhh, it's all right," he whispered softly to the whimpering child, swaying his body around in a soothing motion. "Go to sleep, Iason. You're safe in my arms." But Iason wouldn't close his eyes, he just continued to stare up at his father. "Come on, Raoul's already gone to sleep, you should too." He smiled as the little fingers grabbed onto his clothing and the baby yawned widely, flashing his pink gums that were absent of teeth. "Yes, yes, go to sleep now, little one."

A few moments later, the blue eyes were hidden beneath the pale eyelids and blonde eyelashes and Iason was finally asleep. Leonard couldn't help but grin at the peaceful expression that each of his sons had while they laid side by side in the little nest made of soft blankets on the bed. He slid onto the bed, careful not to disturb the sleeping babes and silently watched the twin's chests rise and fall in the steady sleeping pace. Occasionally their fingers and feet would twitch, bringing a soft chuckle to his lips at the adorable state of his precious children.

Raoul twitched and opened his green eyes that immediately filled with tears, but before he could make a sound Leonard held out his long finer for Raoul to grasp. Content with the digit in his little hands, little Raoul drifted off back to sleep and after a few minutes, Leonard freed his finger from the limb hands. He watched on silently, an indescribable joy abundant in his chest that wanted to bring tears to his eyes.

—

"The fifth generation son of the leader is prophesied to have to ability of Ceretirian after their eighteenth year," Elder Rosette explained. "That person will have the ability to turn into a wolf." She paused, "But you already know that. What you want is the prophecy."

Damn, how did this lady know what Iason wanted? It was a bit unnerving to have someone with this potential in his office.

"The Prophecy states that the fifth generation son will appear once nearly every mongrel has vanished," she continued, glaring at the Prince. "Which has been taken care of, thanks to your people's fine ruling." She sighed, "And once he has transformed, he will dominate whatever he wishes to. No one can stop him. He will decide where he belongs after transforming, be it with the humans or wolves."

Iason pondered what Riki would do if he really was the fifth generation son, would he try to kill him? Or seek revenge elsewhere? "Is there any signs that the transformation has started?" he asked softly.

The Elder tapped her chin thoughtfully, "Other than the signs of turning into a beast? He will switch out of his norm." Seeing Iason's questioning look, she continued. "He will act as if he is losing control of his emotions. And mark my words, if you are near him when he gets angry you will regret it. Anger is the last phase, and he will snap at anyone within a short distance."

So he could very well be changing, Iason thought.

"Prince Iason, would you like to know if the mongrel you are holding is the fifth generation?"

He glanced up, "You can tell? How?"

"If he really is, run your fist across his spine," she instructed. "If you hit a certain bone, you'll get your confirmation."

—

Katze closed the door behind the elderly lady, "Have you gathered enough information, Sir? Or shall I continue searching?"

"No, I have enough for now." He read over the notes, "Keep your eye on Kirie though, he might lead us to more."

The door opened after a hand brushed against it, "Oh, am I interrupting?" Prince Raoul inquired.

"No."

"Good," he smiled, then turned his attention to Katze and observed him up and down. "I haven't seen you in ages. What did you need him for, Iason?"

"He was finding persons for me to question."

"I'm assuming that elderly lady was your finding then?" Raoul asked to Katze, stepping forward as he squinted at the redhead.

"Yes, now what do you—?" Iason glanced up at Raoul and frowned, "What are you doing?"

"May I borrow him for a moment?"

"Why?"

"Must you question everything I do?"

"I do not want him coming back to me lifeless, Raoul," Iason answered. "State your reason."

"Fair enough," Raoul answered, he grabbed onto Katze's chin. "I want to see if my remedy can heal this scar. May I borrow him?"

"If you don't bring him back in one piece, I will rip off your fingernails," Iason warned, glaring his blue eyes into Raoul's soul.

Taking that as permission, Raoul yanked on Katze's arm and dragged him from the room, passing a servant who was delivering Iason a beverage and snack. He tugged the boy straight to his room and pushed him inside before locking the door before crouching in front of the fallen man, "So tell me, Katze. How long have you been a sorcerer?"

—

Riki walked in behind Iason, his eyes scanning the room. There was a huge stage in the center of the dimly lit room, several viewing booths lined the sides of the tall elegant dome and fancy chairs filled the open space around the stage. His body was numb and walking was a struggle as he felt like his legs would give out any moment. He had slept a long time and when he was woken up the Prince made him drink something and then hauled him off to the party via leash. A tug on his chain nearly sent him toppling over, but the Prince side stepped him and successfully and subtly steadied him.

"Pleasure to have you join us, Iason," Orpheus grinned, watching the pair arrive.

Iason nodded, "How could I turn down your invitation?"

Orpheus flashed a smile of approval, and gestured for Iason to have a seat. "Will your slave be participating?"

"No, I'm afraid not."

"It is your decision," he nonchalantly replied with a shrug.

Iason sat down in the chair designated for him, and tugged Riki gently to sit down by his feet. "Quite a lot of slaves," he commented, eyeing up the naked and shackled youth on the stage.

"Orpheus brought in some from an auction, and the rest of us placed our own in as well," Gideon answered. "Yours is the only one not partaking."

"I wouldn't want him to attack any of the other slaves," Iason countered, affectionately ruffling the mongrel's hair.

"You son of a—" Riki whispered, but was silenced by a sharp and discrete tug to his midnight locks.

"Shall we begin then?"

Riki stared up at the stage and watched as the scantily clad slaves looked to their Masters who nodded in approval. Now what would they do? He watched as a few of them made eye contact with each other and started to move closer. With eyes clouded with confusion, Riki looked up to Iason who just directed his gaze back to the stage. Behind the slaves were an assortment of foods and chalices for them to drink, and they grouped together and began to head over to the table while talking softly.

Just what was the point of this party?

—

"Ah...uhh...!" the young girl cried out as she continued the rub herself against another girl above her.

It seemed that something was in the drink and food, because the clueless slaves had grouped together to talk while the Princes had and then had eaten. Then the Princes got all quiet after the slaves had settled down in groups and were talking while eating. And next thing Riki knew, they were throwing themselves at each other like wild dogs in heat. They were masturbating themselves, each other and some even started to fornicate with one another. What the hell kind of party was this?

"Hnn," a smaller male grunted, thrusting hard into the tiny girl beneath him.

Riki looked away while shifting his legs in attempt to get comfortable. He wasn't especially turned on by the show before him, in fact a part of him found it repulsive, so why did he feel a bit of fire in his loins? How long is this going to last? he wondered.

"Hmph," Prince Raoul sneered, leaning to whisper to Iason. "It appears your mongrel's in a bit of discomfort."

Iason gave Riki a sharp, icy glance, "Do you like this, wolf cub?"

Riki ground his teeth together. "Not at all."

A sudden loud cry echoed off the walls as another slave joined a pair who were having sex as he penetrated the boy while he was still fucking the girl. Several of the slaves stopped and started to masturbate at the sight of it while others continued to fornicate in attempt to out do them.

Riki turned away from it all and attempted to block out the show so he wouldn't continue reacting. He couldn't figure out why he was reacting, he really wasn't into watching this happen. He jerked as he felt an arm snake around him and a large hand squeeze his penis hard. He started to yelp in shock, but a hand covered his mouth to muffle the sound. He started to fight against the hold by biting the gloved flesh before him, but another squeeze to his aching member made him let go and become still. Even though his body was numb, he could still remember the pain and that was enough to have him flinching.

Luckily, the other Princes were too immersed in the show and didn't notice what had happened, other than Raoul. Prince Raoul immediately grasped onto Iason's hand and pressed down on the bite wound. "Put him on the stage, Iason. This isn't acceptable!" he hissed lowly.

"I will not."

"It's going to get worse."

Iason glared at Raoul with blue eyes brimming with fury, "What did you do?" he hissed, venom spilling into each word.

"You can't pamper him anymore!"

"You put something in the remedy, didn't you?" Absolutely furious with his brother, Iason yanked Riki by his collar and hauled him up into his arms. He sheltered the trembling boy beneath his cloak and slid his hand over the tanned body glistening with sweat.

"Put him on that stage, Iason. It's time to give up your infatuations!"

"Is something wrong with your mongrel?" Orphe inquired.

"Iason has decided to put him out on the stage," Raoul answered. "Haven't you, Iason?"

The Prince glared daggers at Raoul and glanced down at his huffing mongrel that was shockingly gripping onto him. He rose to his feet and carried his mongrel over to the stage where no one was.

Riki grasped onto Iason, silently pleading to him to not let him get ravaged by the others in his numb state. He wouldn't be able to fight anyone since he could barely move because of the remedy, let alone with whatever aphrodisiac like substance was flowing through his veins causing him difficulty. He watched as Iason pried his weak hands from him and left him on the stage. Riki curled into himself, each of his breaths scorching his skin upon contact while his loins burned with equal fire. Sweet God, make it stop...!

—

He laid there for what seemed like hours, his body hurting to the point where he wanted to crawl to Iason, grab the leash and strangle himself. But this drug wasn't long lasting compared to the others, and finally he began to regain himself while the others kept going. He sat up shakily and started to crawl towards the edge when suddenly hands met him and he instantly felt sick as two girls crawled all over him. He attempted to push them off, but they continued their attack and soon one was straddling him. He tried to pull away, but the other one had his penis in her hands and was guiding it to her opening. Oh no, please no...! Stop...! He gasped as he felt her warm entrance against his tip while the other girl's hot body and breasts rubbed against his skin along with his warm tongue. "A—ah...!" he moaned, his hands clenching for something to help him. Stop! Stop! Fucking—!

The girl was ripped free from him and his nails which were dug into her neck were yanked out as well in the movement. He stared up into the frozen and livid blue eyes for a second before he was painfully thrown over the Prince's shoulder. The wind was knocked clear from his lungs from the impact against the man's bulky body and he gasped for air as his body continued to burn. He opened his eyes to find himself back under the cloak in the Prince's arms, and as wrong as it was, he was mildly relieved.

"Iason," Raoul hissed.

"Not another word, Raoul. He was on the stage and now he is done."

No one dared to protest against the Prince's decision further for the remainder of the event.

—

"I don't know what you're talking about," Katze denied with his usual stoic expression.

"Ohoho, don't try to play dumb," Raoul chuckled. "I know you're a sorcerer, Katze." He leaned forward and touched the scarred face, impressed when the redhead didn't flinch. "You can drop the act."

Katze stared back at him, not dropping any hints as to if he was correct or not.

Prince Raoul sighed softly, glancing his green eyes at the floor and then back up at Katze. "Do you know how to tell if one is a sorcerer?" he inquired, stroking the scar. "Like this." He reached up and dipped his fingers into a dish of thick liquid and then pushed his fingers into Katze's mouth, pinching his tongue under his thumb and first two fingers. He ran them down the slippery organ, feeling the distinct mark that appeared as the liquid burned away the seal. "Ah, there it is."

Katze paled as he started to struggle to get away, he had thought he was immune to all of the seal revealing potions! How had this man managed to get the best of him? "Hnnn!"

"Ah, ah, ah," Raoul grinned wildly. "You can't escape me now! It's time for your secret to be—" He felt the gouge but was convinced he felt it wrong, he touched it again. "revealed..." His green eyes pierced the redhead as he pushed away to look the boy up and down.

Wasting no time, Katze scrambled backwards. This was it, he had reached his final day. Prince Raoul knew who he was and now he would be executed! He closed his eyes and awaited his fate. Nothing happened and he looked up to see Prince Raoul staring down at him with confusion. "What? Aren't you going to kill me now?"

"Never...I never imagined..." he mumbled, his hand against his mouth muffled his voice. "You..."

Katze willed himself to calm down, taking several deep breaths to steady himself. If he could buy himself time, he might be able to talk his way out of this and escape.

A laugh rippled from Raoul's throat as he crouched down again, grabbing Katze by his shoulders. "You are the last Zabeus Cayus child!" He flashed a feral smile, "You will be of great use to me."

"What do you want from me?"

"I want you to assist me as one of the only remaining sorcerers," Raoul answered. "I will protect your identity if you do as I say. Do we have an agreement, Katze?"

Stunned at the turn of events, Katze extended his hand to the Prince and nodded, "Agreed."


	20. A Chance For A Change

"RAAAAAAH!" Riki screamed, slamming the heavy chair against the door again and again. "GOD, DAMMIT!"

Iason calmly sipped his remedy wine, watching the scene of his mongrel trying to break the door down. He knew there was no way to break it down, but he would let Riki try. "Maybe try the mace on the wall behind you?" he nonchalantly suggested, taking another sip of his wine.

Riki threw the chair at the barred window and the colored stainless glass splashed across the floor, glistening in the moon and candlelight before landing on the red carpet floor. "Fuck, fuck, FUCK!" He glared at the other panel of glass that the chair ends couldn't reach. How fucking thick were these walls?

"The mace?" Iason repeated.

"FUCK OFF!" the mongrel screamed at the Prince. He whipped his head back to the door and then huffed for breath while glaring back at the blonde who calmly sipped his drink. "Let me out!"

Iason met the mongrel's enraged dark eyes, "If you get out it has to be on your own accord." Which was impossible, for this Fort could withstand any abuse of war on the inside and out, it was virtually indestructible.

Riki ground his teeth together and charged to the weapon panel on the wall and grabbed the battle axe. He rushed forward and drove the axe into the wood with all of his force. "Dammit, break down, DAMMIT!" he shrieked, tugging against the weapon lodged deep into the wood. He started to reef on the handle, but it wouldn't budge no matter how hard he tried. "FUCKKKKK!"

The Prince kept his silent vigil as the slave panted hard and hurried back to the weapon display and grabbed the mace.

Riki smashed the spikes into the wood with all his might, but barely made a difference in the durability of the door. Finally he screamed in pure anguish and sank to his knees while sobbing. His freedom was right in front of him, but he couldn't open the fucking doors! He pounded his fists against the wood while he continued to curse and bawl.

There was no escape.

—

"You seem...distressed, your Highness," Katze noted quietly, watching as his new Master was pacing like a wild animal in a cage as he muttered about what he should do now that Iason had taken his mongrel away and was out of his control.

"I am!" Raoul snapped back, chucking a vile carelessly to the ground so it shattered. "I just do not comprehend what that brother of mine is thinking!"

"He took the mongrel with him and left?"

"Yes!"

"Maybe it was so they could train without interruption?" Katze proposed, trying to gently touch the Prince's shoulder in reassurance.

Raoul scoffed and hit the redhead's hand away. "I don't think that's the case." He slammed his fist against the table, "I've tried everything to make him...!"

The redhead frowned, "What did you do?"

"I've been ensuring Prince Iason's meals were spiked with this for awhile now," he answered, holding up a vile.

Katze took the vile and sniffed its contents. "Abroxus?"

Raoul straightened up and looked the redhead in the eyes, "How in the hells did you know that? This is a hard to come by potion that only few know of. How did you know by mere scent alone?"

The redhead simply shrugged, "I know my potions. But why did you give him this?"

"To make him hate the mongrel and abuse him, I was hoping it would break their bond when he didn't heed my warning." Raoul ran his gloved fingers through his lush blonde locks, tempted to rip them out from his dilemma.

"Your Highness, this is a very strong drug. Any continuous dose of it would cause any man to lash out unreasonably. What if it affected his judgement to other things?" Katze protested, slowly approaching him again.

"That's why I added this," Raoul countered, handing over another small vile.

Again Katze took and sniffed it, "Arcaneles? Ah, I see. Because the Prince was often with the mongrel is why it would work. Or am I wrong? Does Arcaneles not cause the brain to think of one thing specifically?"

Raoul blinked at the young man's knowledge, "You definitely have the brains of a Zabeus Cayus member."

"However, it seems you failed. All this did was cause the Prince to leave and to become more infatuated with his slave," Katze answered and leaned against the table.

"No, he beat him the other day! That means it's working!" Raoul insisted, storming forward to pin Katze against a shelf of potions.

"But he also stole the mongrel from the others during the party because he didn't want anyone else to have him," Katze reminded. "In all honesty, Prince Raoul, I believe your brother is too far gone. Just by working for him, I can tell that he has his mind set on his slave. I believe it would be best if you gave up this meaningless fight." He shrugged, "And now that he's gone, your efforts will have been in vain as the dose must be continuous or it wears off after a few hours. And he will revert to a state of acceptance and serenity, also meaning he will probably grow closer to the slave."

"That's why I was trying to find a way to prolong it!"

"There is hardly anything that would react well with the ingredients, your Highness," Katze softly offered, trying not to shake within the furious Prince's hold, but flinched as his scar was stroked.

"So you do know of ingredients that work well with them?" the green eyed Prince challenged, brushing his thumb from the scar all the way to the boy's neck where he gripped onto the red locks.

"None–... that will be of use to you," Katze defended, shivering slightly at the touch. "Your Highness, please... stop touching me."

"Until Iason comes back, you're in my care and I am your Master," Raoul whispered darkly in his ear. "And I want to know what the ingredients are, little Kitty Katze."

—

"Iason, where are you going?" Raoul called, watching his brother stride down the halls lit with candlelight with his sleeping mongrel wrapped in a cloak. "You can't seriously be leaving in the middle of the night?"

"I am," he answered, setting the boy on a lush sofa with polished wooden trimming at the end of the hall. He then turned on his heel and headed back to his room to grab a leather, and slipped one bottle of medicated wine inside along with another special blended bottled drink.

"Where are you going?"

"Mother has given me time off now that the executions are through."

"But that does not mean you can just—" Raoul found himself pinned against the wall, staring into the fierce blue eyes. "I...Iason?"

"If you try to stop me, I will tell Mother you are more than a mere doctor," he threatened. "I could care less if you tell her about my gifts. But you will go down in flames a lot quicker than I."

Raoul gulped.

Iason pulled back, and threw the bag over his shoulder. He swooped down and grabbed his mongrel, "Tell Mother I'm in the Fort in the woods, and if anyone other than my designated servants disturbs me, I will make your lives a living hell."

—

He narrowed his blue eyes on the sight of his mongrel shrieking like a banshee in frustration while kicking the doors while sitting. Iason vaguely wondered if he was finally breaking or if maybe he was going through another stage of transformation? It seemed like he had gotten up and fallen down in grief several times in a row now.

"FUCK!" Riki shrieked as he once again slid to the floor and laid his head against the rug, his hot tears staining the fabric.

After several minutes, his mongrel finally quieted down to sniffling. Iason finally spoke, "Can you not break it?" Riki ground his teeth, abruptly sitting up to glare at the Prince. "Have you given up?"

Riki launched himself forward, jumping to grab a sword from the weapons display. If he couldn't break through the door, he could at least kill the bastard caging him. "Since I can't get free...I'll kill you..."

Iason merely blinked. "If you kill me, you'll die in here too, because only I can give the orders to open that door."

Not taking the warning to heart, Riki ran forward and swung the sword in attempt to slice the Prince in half. Iason easily dodged the blade edge and gripped onto Riki's hand, twisting it painfully so the dark haired boy winced.

"You can't kill me, even if you try your hardest," Iason smiled. "Can you not understand, Riki? You belong to me until fate decides to end me."

"I belong to no one!" Riki screamed, swinging the sword to the left and cutting into the Prince's side. "And your fate is now!"

Iason fell off the chair to his knees, clutching the side while crimson pooled out and stained his tunic. He smiled softly at the blood drops on the floor, "Do you doubt my word?"

Riki knelt down, grabbing the blonde hair and tugging upwards. "You might have gotten lucky once, but you're dead this time! You'll bleed out from the cut, I've severed your insides, you prick." A quiet chuckle escaped the Prince's lips, and before Riki could blink he was on the ground and in shock.

Iason crawled on top of him, hitting the sword away with from the mongrel with his free hand and sending it clattering across the floor. "I'll let you in on a secret, wolf cub." He lifted his hand and revealed that the wound which was visible from the slit in the fabric was already closed. "I cannot die."

The dark eyes widened in disbelief, "Y–you're...!"

"Surprised?" Iason asked, grabbing onto the mongrel's shoulders and leaning down to the boy's ear. "I have many more tricks up my sleeve."

Riki gritted his teeth and stared up at the Prince, a wave of tiredness crashing down on him. "What... are you?"

"Iason Mink, just a Prince," he whispered, pulling back to stare down to the dark eyes within the face that was surrounded by his blonde locks.

—

"Where is Iason?" Jupiter inquired, a bit of irritation in her voice as she peered down the table to see that her favored son was not in his place. Raoul usually always arrived after doing his daily routine.

"He took his mongrel and left last night, Mother," Raoul calmly answered, pretending not to notice all the shocked expressions of the people at the table. Jupiter would definitely be on his case because he no longer had control over his task.

"Where did he go and when will he return?" she demanded bitterly.

"He took him to the Fort in the woods," Raoul explained. "And he won't be coming back for awhile as you granted him time off now that the executions are done."

—

Iason scooped up the fallen mongrel into his arms, "Look, you've hurt yourself. You won't be able to move in the morning you'll be so sore."

"Fuck...you..." Riki whispered, another tear slipping down from his burning eyes as he looked at the door again. He couldn't even struggle out of the hold he was so lethargic from the escape attempts and fighting he did with Iason. "I hate..."

The Prince smiled, brushing the hair that was plastered to the tanned forehead away and planting a kiss to the skin. "Yes, yes, you're very tired and grumpy, wolf cub. Just close your eyes and sleep."

Iason carried Riki to the bedroom and slipped under the sheets with him. He pulled the youth close to him so he was spooning him from behind and wrapped his arms around him. His fingers lightly traced lazy circles across the tanned chest before settling still as he finally gave into his own exhaustion as well.

—

Holy fuck, everything was sore. He feebly rolled onto his back and winced as his muscles ached. He was exceptionally grateful that his ass was recovering from the punishment and his penis was as well, because this was now worse.

"Ack..." he whimpered while trying to sit up. Finally getting to a somewhat comfortable position, his dark eyes peered around the room and landed on a familiar figure sitting in a backwards chair.

"Sore?" the Prince asked, knowing full well that the mongrel was indeed aching. "Care for a warm bath to help aid the pain?"

Riki gritted his teeth and moved slightly to the edge of the bed. He wasn't sure if he could trust the Prince, but the thought of heat for his aching muscles and bones seemed like a gift from the gods. He nodded slightly, "K...kay..."

Iason rose and headed over the mongrel, prepared to carry him to the bath, but had his hands slapped away.

"I...can do it," Riki protested, pulling himself to the very edge of the bed.

Surprisingly, the Prince backed off and let him slip his legs slowly off the bed and his feet to the rug. But when Riki wobbled forward after taking one step, he was caught in the large pale hands. "So I see," he chuckled, but instead of carrying Riki and making him upset, he supported him and together they hobbled to the bath and he helped him inside.

The heat seemed to ease everything that was aching immediately on contact and Riki couldn't help but sigh in relief. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back as the water did wonders to his body. After a long moment of bliss, he pried one of his eyes open and peeked at the blonde who was just leaning against the edge and watching him. "Are...aren't you going to come in?" he asked.

"I thought you'd never ask," Iason smiled, immediately stripping his tunic off and then unlacing his breeches so they dropped to the floor.

Riki couldn't help but stare at the massive limp member hanging down in between the man's legs like a dormant snake before he averted his gaze. Iason carefully slipped in behind the mongrel and wrapped his arms around the youth.

"Is the water too hot?" Iason asked quietly, leaning his head back and closing his eyes.

"It's fine." Riki leaned his head back against the blonde's chest and he too closed his eyes. "Why did you bring me here?"

"To the bath? Because you're–"

"No. We aren't in the castle, so why are we here?" he asked, not opening his eyes in attempt to keep his relaxed state going.

"The castle is too crowded," Iason simply answered. "I can barely walk down the hallway with all the people. And I can barely think with all the useless banter." He smiled, "And you cannot live your life in that dark room forever, wolf cub."

So he had been a factor in the decision? He had to admit he was tired of being cooped up in the dark. But it was no different here, he was still cooped up in this place!

"I'm still–"

"Shhh," Iason hushed, bringing his two fingers to the youth's mouth. "Just enjoy the bath and you can bark at me later."

"Bassfard," he mumbled against the fingers, but quieted down because he didn't want to leave the hot water just yet.

Iason smiled and removed his fingers as the mongrel went silent. If only it could always be this way. He continued to soothingly and lightly caress the slick skin of his mongrel, adoring the feeling beneath his fingertips.

Riki sighed contently, his body unconsciously moving into the intimate touch as he had been taught over time. This man's touch was different from the other mongrel's and his mate's, it could make him feel so good. He pushed back the arousal that was growing in his loins, a bit concerned that he was feeling anything and continued to let the heat ease his body. The sensations that were created were ones that only the Prince could administer.

—

"Wolf cub, if you stay in here any longer you'll become a prune," Iason rumbled in the mongrel's ear, gently caressing the tanned chest in his hands.

"Mm..." Riki mumbled, his dark eyes opening reluctantly as he wanted to continue his slumber.

A chuckle reverberated from within the Prince's chest. His sleepy mongrel was utterly adorable and oh how he loved it! He pulled the limp mongrel out with of the tub with him and sat down on the tile steps. "Wolf cub," he called softly in the boy's ear.

"Mmn!" Riki growled, swatting at the annoyance in his ear.

Iason laughed out loud, the sound finally shocking the mongrel awake. He confusedly looked around and then up to the blue eyes which were dancing with amusement and content. "Are you hungry?" the man whispered.

Riki pushed away and wobbled to his feet, accepting a towel which the Prince handed to him. He started to dry himself off as Iason did the same. He stopped and watched the blonde dry his long wet locks, a bit mesmerized by the color and length.

Iason smirked and stepped forward, capturing the dark locks in the towel and started to dry it. "Don't stand there, you'll get a chill."

Riki struggled out from under the towel and glared at the man, "I can do it myself."

The Prince shrugged and then grabbed his clothes from the ground, slipping his breeches on and then a fresh white tunic with blue trim. He stretched out his limbs as he waited for Riki to finish drying and then pointed to the pair of breeches sitting on a ledge.

Riki slipped into them and then laced it up, "Where's the top?"

"Do you need one?" Iason questioned, opening the door and leaving the mongrel.

The youth followed behind, confused as to why the Prince wasn't wearing a tunic and why he didn't think they needed one. "What the hell?"

"Are you ashamed of your body? Is that why you want to cover up?" Iason challenged.

"You fucker..."

"So you are embarrassed by your body?"

"I'm not!" the mongrel insisted, stomping forward to the annoyance.

"Wonderful, now let us get some food into your stomach," Iason declared, running his hand along the smooth tanned surface before heading out the door.

Riki followed him quietly, wondering why the Prince was acting so differently. Just the other day he was irrational and violent, but today he was so gentle. He caught himself and scowled. No, no, no! He couldn't get too comfortable with this man! He just had to plot his escape when he had the chance!

They passed the entry way, walking around the broken bits of chairs and other furniture. Riki eyed up the weapons he had lodged in the door and sighed. There was no escape as long as he was in this place. That door was the only way in and out.

—

Riki stared at the table in confusion, there was food already prepared on plates under covered lids. He raised an eyebrow and looked to the Prince for an explanation.

"I had these delivered to us while you were sleeping," he answered.

So there was a chance to escape. Whenever the meals were delivered, that door would be opened; Riki mentally noted that while following the Prince. Iason motioned for him to sit on a chair next to him, which caught Riki off guard.

He hesitated, but sat down in the chair in front of a covered plate. Was it really made of gold? It looked like it.

"Are you going to stare at it or eat it?" Iason asked, already stabbing a piece of fruit with his fork.

Riki pulled off his lid, expecting to have the same food, but froze as he observed the contents. It was meat and vegetables, not a large serving but a fair amount. He frowned and looked to the Prince, was this a joke?

"Eat, wolf cub."

Riki ground his teeth, "Are you mocking me?"

Iason blinked. "No?"

"I'm not a damn animal!" he screeched, hitting the food to the floor and rising from his chair. "Fuck you! Treating me like I'm some wild beast!"

Iason sighed and rose from his seat. "Riki."

"No, I'm done playing your games!"

"I wasn't trying to mock or upset you." The man started to walk towards the mongrel. "I thought you would enjoy meat more than fruit. It was brought to my attention that when you were outside of my castle that meat was harder to find due to the new hunting regulations." He cornered the boy, "I was merely trying to indulge you."

Riki froze on the spot. "W—what?" His eyes darted to the floor and the wasted food. When he was living in the outcast lands he would've given anything to have meat, and he just wasted the valuable resource.

"I know you have no trust in me, but I wish to change that, Riki."

"Why in the blazing fuck should I trust you?"

"Because I'm the only one who knows what you truly are," Iason explained, approaching the boy. "Riki, do you know what you are?"

"Yeah, I'm a fucking slave!"

"True," Iason agreed, finally reaching him and pulling him close. "But, you are also the fifth generation son of the mongrel clan."

"So what?" Riki demanded, struggling to get away.

"You are the only mongrel who possesses Ceretirian's spirit," the Prince whispered in his ear, sliding his hand along the skin of the tanned back.

"Bullshit! There's no way I could—!" Riki started, but shuddered and released a howl as Iason touched his back in a tender spot along his spine. In shock, he covered his mouth and glared up at the Prince. What the fuck was that?!

A smile spread on the Prince's face, causing Riki's breath to catch in awe. Iason grabbed Riki's face and pulled him in for a long and passionate kiss. "You are the newest joy of my life, wolf cub." He hugged Riki tight.

"L—let go!"

"Never, you were destined to be by my side."

"Hell I am! I hate you!"

"One day you will not," Iason promised.

"As long as I'm your slave, I will never not hate you!"

"And what if I let you take on the roll of my right hand man?" Iason whispered in his ear. "Will that help?"

The mongrel's eyes widened. "Wh...what do you mean?" he questioned, pushing back to stare into the blue eyes.

"You are a terrible personal slave," Iason sighed.

"Of course."

"But your skills with the bow and arrow are beautiful, and I don't want them to go to waste," the Prince praised. "So, I will allow you to take on another roll as my right hand man in my fleet outside of your task as my personal slave."

"But I'm still—"

"Let me finish," the Prince interrupted, touching his hand to the pale lips.

Riki crossed his arms, but quieted down.

"You are legally bound as my slave yes," he started, watching Riki start to protest. "But, with the job as fleet member comes pay, training and responsibility. During the you are not doing anything related to the fleet, you are to be my obedient slave."

Riki considered the idea. "What am I protecting?"

Iason smiled softly, "Me."

—

"You were to administer whatever drugs were needed to make Iason get rid of his slave," Jupiter spat. "So why has it not happened yet?"

"The drug is a fickle—"

"I don't want excuses, Raoul! Your brother is going to become Prince in the near future and he cannot have this...this...thing dragging him down!"

"I understand, Mother." Raoul acknowledged. "However, I can only do so much. I'm not a god or a wizard, I'm merely a doctor."

"You spend days in that room, creating medicines, how can you not have one that works?"

"Does it matter now?"

"I beg your pardon?!"

"Iason is gone and I am no longer able to administer any drugs to him," Raoul fired back. "And we both know that if one disturbs Iason during his time off, there will be fires of hell everywhere."

Jupiter ground her teeth. "The moment he is back I order you to continue."

—

"You?"

"Yes, me."

"And why should I protect you?" Riki challenged. "You've turned me into a slave, beat me, humiliated me."

"I'm offering to change your life by my side," Iason countered. "But if you wish for it to remain this way..."

"I don't!" Riki blurted, flushing at his outburst. "I don't..."

"If you agree, you will be given opportunities to leave the castle with me," the Prince listed. "A pay outside of meals, shelter and clothing provided; time to practice shooting targets and even battle time if it should ever occur." He touched Riki's face, "This is far more than any slave would ever receive."

"And I would have to be your slave outside of that time?"

"Yes." Iason nodded. "And you would actually have to obey me and do a few things."

"But I'm still not free."

"Riki," Iason sighed. "If you ever did run away, you would be hunted down and killed immediately by the slave hunters. It is there job to watch out for all the slaves sold, and I hate to tell you, but you're at the top of their list. Everyone in the hunting squad knows your face. And even if I let you go, they would still hunt you off because they would assume you've broken the contract. But with this option, you will gain freedom. I could even send you on errands into the villages as my personal slave if you wouldn't try to run away."

Riki considered the idea. It would be a great relief to not have to worry about food, shelter or anything like that. And earning pay for doing something was way beyond his imagination, since mongrel's were never permitted to have official jobs.

"Well?" Iason asked, cupping the tanned face.

After a moment, Riki nodded. "I...I'll do it."

"Splendid," Iason smiled, hugging the boy.

"But."

"But?"

"I'm not wearing a leash ever again," Riki bargained.

Iason smiled again, kissing the tanned forehead. "Fine, but you must wear this collar. Without it, at first glance they will assume you are a run away slave and they will kill you on sight. And that would be a tragic fate."

"Whatever." Riki rolled his eyes. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all? If he had a job and was getting money, he could maybe even send some to his other clan members? Then they wouldn't have to steal food and could buy a few things? Maybe this was how he could help his clan get back on their feet after all the years of poverty?


	21. Fractured Time Alone

Riki sat in silence, staring remorsefully at the new dish that was in front of him. He shouldn't have overreacted and wasted the other food, it made him feel bad for the people who had no food and he just wasted a meal which could save someone from starvation. He sluggishly grasped onto his cutlery and started to stab into some of the freshly cooked meat that was emitting a mist of white steam from the heat of it. After blowing on it a few times, he placed it gingerly into his mouth and immediately closed his eyes as the savoriness permeated throughout his cavity. It seemed to taste even better than any of the meat he had before; succulent and juicy with each bite. He buried his teeth into the fleshy slab, his eyes closing as he nearly sighed in bliss of eating something so delicious.

Iason maintained a silent observation, more than a little pleased that his mongrel was enjoying the nourishment in which he had selected specifically for him. He had managed to secede from the dark anger which had risen up within him earlier at the mongrel's outburst, and now the benefits were almost luminous. He hadn't felt so calm in a long time, and he was thoroughly relishing in it. He delicately sipped at his tea, not wanting to look away from his exotic beauty.

Oblivious to Iason's stare, Riki continued to indulge in the meal before him. Soon he was scraping his plate clean, ensuring every drop of the heavenly flavor on the dish had entered his mouth. He sat back, full and content now that he had something in his belly. It felt as if a surge of power were coursing through his veins and radiating throughout his body and sparking something within him.

"Are you full now?" Iason asked softly, finishing off his tea.

"Uh...yeah..." Riki answered, pushing his plate away. He was still perplexed as to why the Prince was now acting so differently, as if he was a completely different person. It reminded him of when they were shooting arrows together, how encouraging and happy the Prince was while praising him.

Iason pushed his chair back, set his napkin on the table and rose to his feet. "Would you like to come with me for a little bit of fresh air?" he asked, as if Riki weren't his prisoner, but just an acquaintance.

Riki frowned, but then nodded, wondering why the Prince would offer something so risky.

—

"I am trusting you, Riki," the Prince reminded. "We have an agreement, but if you run away it is all gone and there will be punishment like none ever witnessed before. Do you understand?"

Riki nodded, he wasn't going to blow this opportunity. He finally had something good that was about to start, and he wouldn't wish it to be gone even if someone threatened to burn him at the stake. He, dare he say it, liked Iason this way?

Iason covered Riki's eyes and proceeded to open the door using the special technique. "All right, come on," he finally called.

Riki opened his eyes to see the door opened and the sunlight shining into the entrance around him, he just wanted to go outside and soak up all of the sun, but held back on the urge and waited for the Prince to lead him outside. He did not accept the hand he offered, but slowly walked past and stood still on the steps with his face to the sun.

The Prince smiled, walking up to him and stopping beside him. "Beautiful, is it not?"

"Mhmm..." Riki sighed blissfully. "Can...can we go farther?"

"Of course," Iason smiled softly, gently grabbing onto the tanned hand. "Follow me."

The sun rays warmed Riki's bare skin and he delighted in the thought of gaining a dark shade like he had while he was in the outcast lands. He had been locked up so often, he felt almost ghostly with his pale skin. He wasn't thrilled to be led by the Prince, but wasn't going to ruin the moment and chance to receive light by putting up a fuss.

"Where are we go..." Riki started, but blinked as the Prince led him to a target area that was set up in a grassy patch of land. Was this the start of his training?

"Here we go," Iason announced, stopping at one station. He handed Riki an arrow and bow. "Will you demonstrate your gift for me again?"

Riki's eyes widened at the Prince asking him to do something. "What if I try to kill you?" he asked, but then remembered. "Oh yeah...never mind." He accepted the bow and arrow, watching as the Prince studied his every move.

He sent the arrow soaring through the air, landing straight into the target's chest. Iason watched with a hint of jealousy at the mongrel's abilities, but wanted to see more of it. "Again," he breathed.

Riki smirked, loading another arrow into the bow and sending it flying through the air and right next to the other one. He looked to the Prince who then got his own bow ready and send an arrow right next to his— a challenge. Easily, Riki sent one right underneath the Prince's and waited for the reciprocated arrow before landing another.

Finally, when they were out of arrows and the target was filled from one edge to the other, Riki finally exhaled and slouched down to rest for a moment. He was startled as he felt the Prince wrap his arms around him, causing him to squirm in the hold. "What...what are you...?" he questioned, panicking slightly a before these touches were a prelude to something else.

Iason just caressed his chest, adoring the warm and smooth tanned skin beneath his hand. "You are magnificent, Riki," he breathed.

Riki squirmed slightly, "What do you mean?"

"You never cease to amaze me," he simply offered, planting a kiss on the tanned forehead before getting up to go pull out the arrows.

Riki touched his forehead. What the hell?

"Another round?" the Prince grinned, setting up several items on a ledge.

Riki smirked and rose to hist feet, "You're on!"

—

Riki flopped down, "I...can't...huuuuuuu!"

Iason chuckled at the sight of the sweat covered mongrel laying on the grass. "What's the matter?"

"We've been at it for so long, yet you always...!"

Again the Prince chuckled, "That is because that is my signature shot, it took years to master!"

"I just don't get how you can make it angle that way! It splits my arrow in half! I can get it beside, but I can't get it directly on top!"

Iason reached down and gently touched Riki's cheek, "Practice, wolf cub. Practice."

Riki released a groan. "Can we do this again until I get it right?"

"Of course," Iason agreed, tapping the tanned nose. "Now come on, you need to get some water in you. You're burning in this sun!"

Riki rolled onto his side and sprang up onto his feet, following behind the Prince and leaving behind the smashed arrows in the targets. He had actually had a great time practicing with the Prince, he enjoyed it more than expected. But that damn bastard somehow kept splitting his arrows and he could only land them beside! It was torture was watch as the Prince snapped all of his arrows with each shot! He had to practice more! His shot might be good, but he wanted it well enough to kill anyone under any circumstances.

"Here," Iason said, offering a chalice of some cold water.

"Where did you get this?" Riki demanded, drinking some and pouring the rest on his body.

Iason couldn't help but stare at the beautiful beast dripping wet, it was hard to contain a spike of arousal that burned within him. "There is a fresh water spring nearby that goes into the forest. It's an odd little thing, it's always cold no matter how hot the outside may be. Some say it is a sacred stream."

"Well then thank the gods, gimme more!"

Iason sipped his chalice and grabbed another, pouring it over the mongrel as he dipped his head lower to receive the cold water. He sighed blissfully and even started to wipe his hands along his slick body. Iason fought off the urge to take him right on the spot. All in good time, all in good time...

Finally cooled down, Riki looked up at Iason while flicking his hair to the side, leaving a trail of the water along with the puddle on the carpet. "Now what?" he asked.

"I hadn't planned on doing anything else," Iason admitted. "And you are darkened by the sun." He reached out to touch the skin that was now a shade deeper, but nonetheless mesmerizing.

Riki looked down, "Yeah, but it doesn't hurt so I'm fine."

Iason nodded, "You are free to wander around the fort, but you must not go outside again." He brought his hand up to the cooled cheek, "The sun will scald you if you go out more."

"Or you just don't want me to escape..."

Iason gently grasped onto his chin, "If I feared you'd run away, would I have made you a deal?" He looked down into the near black spheres. "If you did try and run I could say you would not get far, but I would hope you wouldn't run."

Riki pushed away, "I won't run."

"Good, so feel free to wander about," Iason suggested. "I will be in this room." He pointed to one door with two paintings on either side. "If you would like to join me."

—

Riki strolled down the hallways, stopping to stare at the artwork on the walls. He had to admit, they were all very beautiful and they seemed to give off an aura of perfection within their golden encasing. There weren't many rooms in the lower level of the fort, just seemed to be two master bedrooms, the one room Iason went in, the kitchen and dinning room. The upper level, however had several doors on either side of the balcony lining the entrance area. Riki tried to go in them, but they were locked, so he gave up.

He slid down the railing and then headed to the room Iason went in. He knocked on the door and heard a soft response, so he entered to see Iason sitting at a desk in a room lit by a window and several candles. Bookshelves lined the room from floor to ceiling on almost all of the walls, minus a spot with a fireplace and chairs beside it on a red rug.

"You can take a seat over there, if you wish," Iason invited. "And you can look at any of the books if you wish." He suddenly realized. "Can you read, Riki?"

"Yeah, a little bit." Riki plunked down in a chair, surprised at how comfy it was and casually grabbed a book off of a side table. He flipped it open, mindlessly skimming over a few pages, but then actually went to the beginning to try and read some. It was a Folklore book, full of at least 400 pages of stories. The one section he happened to stumble upon was one story that his mother had read to him, so he thought he would give the book a try.

Iason glanced up to see the mongrel immersed in the book and smiled. His plan had worked, he had planted the book there, hoping it would be something that the boy would actually want to read.

Riki's brow furrowed, and he glanced up at Iason who was working and rose to his feet, carrying his book over. "What does this word mean?" he asked, watching the blue orbs glance at him and then the page as the blonde leaned over to look.

"Erstwhile?" Iason confirmed, watching the boy nod. "It means former, or old, back in time."

"Erstwhile?" Riki repeated, skimming the page. "And this one?"

"Jaunt? It's a journey, usually one that is enjoyable." He watched Riki repeat the word. "Any others?"

"No," Riki answered, slipping back to his chair and sitting comfortable so he could read his book with the pages easier to read in the candle light.

Iason stopped his work, before Riki got too comfortable and carried a basket full of bread over to him and set it on the table beside him so he could casually eat. He also placed a glass and a small bottle of mild wine next to them, so his mongrel would be fed. When he returned to his task, he was more than a little pleased that Riki had started to nibbled on a piece of bread while lost in the fables of the book.

Yes, it was a good decision to distance themselves from the people who were causing them to act irrationally. It helped them reveal other sides to each other, and it was the most serene time Iason had had in awhile.

—

When Iason looked up, the sun had already gone down and his mongrel was asleep. He had briefly left to get the boy some dinner, not surprised to find him still enchanted by the book. When Iason had brought him his supper, Riki had inquired about a few more words, but seemed to be doing fairly well on his own. Part of Iason was proud that Riki was a fast learner and reader. But now, his mongrel was fast asleep, the book barely in his limp hands.

With a chuckle, Iason set the book on the table, ensuring the page was marked and then pulled the mongrel into his arms. He blew out all the candles and headed to his bedroom, leaving the dishes for the servants.

He laid Riki down on the bed,tugging off his shoes and then immediately tucking him under the covers before he started to undress. After Iason had pulled off his tunic and boots, he slipped in next to the sleeping mongrel and pulled him close. The moonlight shone through the stained glass windows, casting light upon the mongrel like a beam of light from Heaven.

Riki rolled over, burying himself into the Prince's warmth as he shivered slightly. Iason pulled the covers up around them and hoped that the fire from the fireplace would warm them throughout the night, but for now he would warm his wolf cub with his body heat.

"Sleep well, Riki," he whispered, kissing the tanned forehead.

—

Riki yawned, sitting up and blinking a few times before he realized he was in a gentle hug. He stared down at the marble fingers and hands that were wrapped around him so tenderly, and it scared him that he didn't try and pull away.

"Good morning," the deep voice rumbled while the marbled hand caressed his chest.

"G'morn...ing," Riki yawned, stretching out his limbs while still in the hold. "Can...can you let go of me now...?"

Iason noted that the mongrel didn't just move away, that was a marked improvement of their relationship. He loosened his hold, but then tightened it. "I'd rather you stay in my arms a bit longer."

"I have to piss!" Riki growled, tugging at the hands.

The Prince chuckled, but released the mongrel who scurried off the bed and hurried towards the room that was the bathroom. Iason sighed delightfully, raising his arms above his head to clench and release his hands. He then lowered his arms as Riki opened the door and walked out, he patted the bed beside him. "Come back, wolf cub. We can still rest."

Riki's eyebrow twitched, but he moved towards the bed and crawled in, keeping his distance from the blonde. He snuggled into the blankets on his side, ensuring there was two feet of distance between them.

"Why so cold, my little wolf?" the Prince queried, reaching out stroke the muscular, tanned back with his fingertips.

Riki shivered, immediately tossing over to grab onto the pale, long fingered hand. "Stop!" he barked.

"Does it bother you?" Iason asked, clasping their hands together and pulling Riki flush against his chest. "Does us being close make you uncomfortable?"

Riki tensed, trapped in the hold. "L—let go!"

Iason ran his fingers through the dark locks. "Shhh, I just want to hold you as we rest for a bit longer."

Riki blushed as the Prince closed his eyes and squirmed a bit as the Prince's warm skin pressed against his. He felt heat rising up in his loins and stilled, terrified of what would happen. He held his breath, waiting several moments, but the blue eyes didn't open. Riki started to desperately will away his arousal, but his sensitive body would not obey.

A chuckle rumbled from the chest pressed against him. "What are you thinking about so early in the morning that would get you this excited, wolf cub?" the Prince asked, his blue eyes peeking open.

"Ah!" Riki gasped, feeling the Prince's hand snake down to touch his arousal. "Wa—wait!"

"Shhh," Iason soothed, easily grasping onto the boy's erection and pumping it. "I'm just making you more comfortable."

Riki grabbed onto Iason's shoulder, hating the fact that the warm and large hands felt so good. He hated himself more for the fact that he was unconsciously thrusting into the touch. "Nnn! Wa—stop!" he moaned.

"You say stop, but your body says otherwise," Iason commented, continuing to tease and stroke the boy's cock.

"Huuu...nnnnn!" Riki moaned, biting on his lips as he felt himself reach the peak of climax. He shuddered, gripping onto the blonde as he released a loud cry before panting for breathe.

Iason pulled up his hand which was covered in the warm, dripping semen from Riki and brought it to his lips and lapped at it.

Riki's eyes widened in horror. "What are you doing?" he demanded, trying to make the Prince wipe it off. "That's gross!"

"Nothing about you is gross, wolf cub," Iason answered nonchalantly, still licking up the semen. It had a unique taste, but there wasn't exactly any way to describe it. He vaguely wondered if all semen tasted this way, or if Riki's was special or different in anyway? "Except your profanity I suppose." Finally finished, he wiped his hands on the sheets and pulled Riki close again.

"Don't touch me after you...!"

"It was your cum, Riki."

"St—still! It's gross!" Riki protested, squirming away from the hold.

"Riki," Iason said in a cold tone. "Behave, it's still too early." He ran his other hand through the dark locks. "You have training to do when we wake up, so you had better be in top condition."

—

Riki gritted his teeth, he just couldn't seem to hit over top of the arrows. He could hit beside, underneath, on top, but he could never break the arrows like Iason did. It wasn't really a problem, because his target would be dead either way, but it pissed him off something fierce that he just couldn't get the arrow to go directly in place of the other. What if there was one target that was literally that small and he had to hit it?

He straightened up, shot another arrow which almost had it, but like all the others, missed. "I can't get it!" Riki hissed angrily.

Iason calmly walked over, "You're getting there, I'm still impressed nonetheless."

"But I can't get it like you can!"

"And?"

"What if my target is like this?" Riki fired back. "Then you'll..."

"So you do care about my well being?" Iason smiled, wrapping his arms around the mongrel. "How very thoughtful, I'm touched by your confession."

Riki shrugged him off. "You'd better pay me, that's all I'm saying." He adjusted his grip on the bow, prepared to shoot.

Again Iason slipped in behind him, winding their hands together and guiding the mongrel. "Now pull back."

Riki obeyed, pulling back and watching as the arrow flew through the air hit the other arrow directly, sending it into the air as splinters and driving the point deep into the target. He lowered the bow and glanced over his shoulder. "Sh...show me again?"

Iason grinned, "It would be my pleasure."

—

Riki plunked down on the bed, exhausted but happy. Iason had taught him how to shoot the arrows so that he could directly hit the arrow in half down the middle. With that shot mastered, he was now capable of almost anything with that bow and arrow.

"Tired?" Iason grinned while drying his hair, coming back from the washroom to see the nude and wet mongrel on the bed.

"I'm beat," Riki huffed, throwing the covers over his body. "And sore."

"That is to be expected. You did shoot targets for over three hours straight," Iason chuckled. He threw the towel aside and climbed into the bed next to Riki, sliding under the sheets. "Are you enjoying your time here?"

"Ye...yeah..." he answered, rolling over to stare at Iason. He almost gulped as he eyed the blonde's upper body again, a bit envious of how it looked chiseled by an artisan.

Iason reached out a hand and ruffled the dark locks. "I'm glad," the Prince smiled. "I was beginning to wonder what our fate would be if you continued to live in the darkness of the back room."

Riki watched Iason for a moment. "Thanks..."

The Prince pulled his hand back, "You're very welcome."

Riki bit the inside of his mouth. "Why did you hurt me all the time?" he whispered.

Iason wrapped his arms around Riki, pulling him close. "I apologize for all of that," he murmured. "I hurt you so much, but I will tell you now, it was not all in my control."

A moment passed, "What do you mean?"

Iason sighed. "I do not have enough proof, but I believe Raoul was administering potions to me which would cause me to lash out at you." He stared down into the dark eyes. "I know I have a temper and bitter attitude, but even I take a break and try to fix a relationship. However, with those drugs, it was impossible to ever stop."

"Which is why you are so different here," Riki realized.

The Prince nodded and sighed. "I took an elixir wine the first night we arrived, just to see if it would aid the recovering, and it has." He gave a gentle squeeze to the tanned body. "You must realize that some of the lashing out was me, however not all of it. Just know that I would never wish to share you with anyone else and I want you to stay by my side."

Riki nodded. "You're not a complete asshole, just half."

Iason smirked, "Profanity, little wolf."

The mongrel rolled his eyes. "Whatever," he growled. He felt the rumble of Iason's laughter vibrate in his chest which was pressed to his, and a strange wave of reassurance hit him. He finally felt that things were getting better.

—

Riki leaned back in his chair. "What's on the schedule for today?"

"You've been completing training perfectly these past few days," Iason noted. "How about we take an easy day today?

"An easy day?"

"How about we go out into the forest? I'll show you the sacred stream," the Prince suggested, rising up from his chair.

The idea of going a bit further from the safe area lifted the mongrel's spirits. Iason was finally gaining trust in him and he was proving himself worthy of being part of the fleet for the Prince. "Sure."

—

Iason helped Riki up onto the horse so he was sitting in front of him and then took the reigns. "I apologize about not having another horse readily available, the others are presently at the main castle."

"It's fine," Riki grumbled, a bit annoyed at not having his own horse to ride on. He was just happy to be getting away from civilization and reconnect with the purity of nature.

The Prince nodded in satisfaction and pressed forward, leading the horse down the dirt path through the field and then down the clearing through the start of the forest. It was silent all around them, except the chirping of the birds, the soft rustling of the animals in the thicket and the horses hooves beating down on the dirt path.

Riki inhaled the scent of the vegetation, his mind taking him back to the days he was free, when he used to wander through the forests on the edge of the outcast lands just to see if there was anything to eat. However, once the hunting regulations were set, prey and other edible elements became scarce and that was the main reason his Clan had resorted to stealing. Despite the bad memories, Riki found himself unconsciously leaning back into the Prince's hold as they continued to journey deeper into the forest.

After going through the winding paths, the silence of the two was broken. "Here we are," Iason announced, directing the horse into an opening.

Riki looked forward and saw the stream, which almost seemed to be glowing from the blue water within it. It seemed to be coming from a rocky ledge that disappeared in a thicket that surrounded it, leaving it's origin unknown unless one chopped down the trees. "Wow..." he breathed, slipping down from the horse and approached the curious creation. He crouched down, dipping his fingers into the water.

Your time is almost near.

Riki yanked his fingers back, turning to Iason who was leading the horse to a move stable grounded area. "Did you say something?"

Iason shook his head, "I did not."

Riki gave his head a few shakes, standing up and backing away from the water as Iason tied the horse's reigns to a thick branch. He felt the Prince walk up behind him and then was wrapped in th e familiar embrace from behind. "W...what is this stream?" he whispered, a little shaken up from hearing things.

Iason chuckled, resting his head on Riki's shoulder lightly. "I told you it was wrapped in mystery. It's origin and sacredness is something unknown." He felt that Riki was shaking slightly. "Did something happen?"

"I...I reached out and touched it and heard..." Riki paused, looking down at the hand that touched the water and wondering if he sounded insane. "I heard a voice."

Iason stiffened. "A voice? What did it say?"

Riki struggled out of Iason's hold, trying to back away from the water more. "That my time is...almost near..."

"Your time?"

The mongrel turned away, plunking down on a rock a few meters from the stream. "I don't know what the damn thing meant, but I heard...!" He shook his head, shooting a glare at Iason. "If you're so fucking curious about it, you go touch it!"

"Calm down, Riki," Iason said softly, crouching down in front of the distraught mongrel and touching his hand. "If this water really is sacred, there could be a spirit guarding it. I'm sure the comment made was not meant to upset you. You should feel honored it spoke to you."

Riki gritted his teeth. "Spirits should remain silent unless summoned! I don't need some curse or some shit tagging along with me! I don't—mmmf!"

"It would be wise to not upset the spirit that provided you with cool water while you were burning from the sun," Iason scolded gently, covering the pale lips.

"Wemmver!" Riki murmured, rolling his eyes. He waited until the Prince moved his hand away, "Thank you spirit! Don't curse me. I'm not ready to die!"

Iason's eyebrow raised. "You're finished with death attempts to free yourself? That's a relief."

"Shut up!" the mongrel hissed. "I didn't have many options at the time. But I am a survivor! I will fight now that I have something to fight for."

"By that something you mean me giving you a job?" Iason clarified. "Is that your reason to live and fight?"

"Right now, yes," Riki answered. "'Cuz you're going to pay me. And that sure is hell worth living for."

"Is getting pay really that big of a deal?"

Riki lowered his gaze, sadly. "For someone like me to have a job outside of Clan duties is unheard of. For someone like you, having a job and earning pay is nothing, but for me it's..."

"It's?"

"It's the first time I've been able to make something of myself," Riki finished, looking out to the water and sighing.

Iason patted Riki's knee and then rose. "I assure you, you will be paid as long as you preform your duties." He started heading back to the water. "Now how about you come and thank the spirit properly?"

Riki glared, pressing his lips together. "I'm not drinking anymore of that shit!"

The Prince chuckled, drinking some of the water and filling his cupped hands with more and heading back to the mongrel. "Come on, be polite."

"No!"

"Fine then," Iason sighed, drinking the water.

Riki nodded in satisfaction, but then was trapped in the Prince's arms and found the water in his mouth. He pushed back against the Prince's chest, but slowed his movements as the cold water soothed him. Finally breaking free, he gasped and coughed from having the water forced down. "You...!"

"Did you thank it?"

"No, I was too busy choking! And I wouldn't even if I could!"

Iason smirked, "Obstinate cub."

Riki glared, "You're an asshole."

"Come now, I simply wanted you to pay your respects."

The mongrel huffed and crossed his arms, "If I get a curse it's your fault."

"You won't."

"I had better not," Riki hissed venomously.

"Come now," Iason purred, hauling the glowering boy to his feet. "Don't sulk."

"I'm not!"

Iason watched Riki stalk away angrily, kicking up dirt and moss with each step as he headed towards the opening they came in. He was beginning to love teasing his mongrel just to see how he would react. The boy delivered a variety of responses to his actions, and they all kept him amused and on his toes. He loved it.

Riki walked into another entrance into the thicket on the other side of the thicket, his hands shoved into the pockets sewn to his breeches. He wasn't that mad at Iason for bullying him as apposed to him being upset by the voice. It had taken him off guard and reminded him that he might be the "Mongrel King." The title itself was a joke, because ruling the Mongrel Clan was about the same as ruling a pile of helpless, endangered shit. He spotted a ledge overlooking a small lake and sat down with his legs slung over the edge. He inhaled deeply, trying to take in the fresh air and calm himself down. With the new job opportunity in progress and the pending fate of being the fifth generation son, he was worried. What if the transformation ruined his chance to become something and send money back to his clan?

"Riki?"

The mongrel turned, "I'm not running away. I just..."

Iason nodded and slipped down and behind Riki, wrapping his arms around him. "You like it here, don't you?"

"Yeah..."

"Shall we come back soon again?"

Riki glanced up into the blue eyes. "C...Can we?"

"If you keep up your training," Iason bargained.

"Deal."

—

Iason set the book he was reading down and blew out the candle next to his bed. "Refreshed?" he asked to the mongrel that crawled into his bed.

"Yeah," Riki answered sharply. "Goodnight."

"So cold," Iason commented, stroking a finger down the tanned, muscular back.

"Stop!" Riki hissed, rolling to the edge of the bed. "Must you touch me? Why can't I have my own bed?"

Iason rolled closer, "Because the servants would have to make up another bed. And I want you with me all the time..."

Riki released an annoyed sighing groan and adjusted his position on the bed. "Stupid..."

The Prince snaked his arms around the mongrel, pulling him close.

Riki squirmed, "Wh...what are you doing?"

Iason silently slid his hand down to the mongrel's privates, grasping onto the limp penis and stroking it. "I want you...Riki..." he growled, his urges taking over his mind. He couldn't fight it anymore.

"Wha...stop...!" Riki panicked, tensing as he felt a finger intrude into his anus. "Wait! Ahh...st...stop!"

"No, I will not," Iason declared, worming his fingers deeper and pumping the erection.

Riki moaned, gripping onto Iason's forearms as he writhed in the trapped embrace. "Nnn...Do...n't...! Haa!"

The Prince inserted another finger, stroking the sensitive spot inside relentlessly. "I will not stop. You are mine, and it's time to make it official."

"Aa...ahhh!" Riki moaned loudly, his back arching as he unconsciously began to thrust into Iason's hand. "N...no...ahhhhh!" He ejaculated into the Prince's hand before falling back against the bed while panting.

I have to have him! I must! Iason screamed internally. He grabbed onto Riki's hips, positioning his arousal to the mongrel's anus.

"Hn...haa...haaa..." Riki moaned, his mind confused as to what was going on in the aftermath of climax.

Need to...! Iason pushed his erection inside the taut entrance, not stopping as he felt the young man tense in surprise and cry out in pain.

Riki gripped onto Iason's arm, digging his nails into the marble skin as he released a scream of agony as the Prince's erection stretched him beyond the limits. "St...stop!" he pleaded, tears springing up into his eyes from the tearing agony.

"No," Iason grunted, pushing himself roughly inside until he was filling Riki to the hilt. "You are mine." He grabbed onto Riki's hips, ignoring the mongrel's cries as he began to pound inside.

"Kaah...ahh...st...op...ahh...!" Riki pleaded brokenly, squirming in the hold like a helpless being.

Iason wrenched himself out to Riki's relief, but then flipped the frozen and gasping mongrel over. He slipped in between Riki's legs. "Finally... You are mine." He rammed himself inside, ignoring the fact that Riki's insides were slick with blood. "I will carve myself into you, Riki... you will be mine forever now..."

—

Riki pried his eyes open, his body aching in several places. He couldn't roll over to see if the Prince was still there. Not that he wanted to see him right now. What he had done to him was horrible and he was beyond angry at him.

Why did he do that? he asked internally, sadness and confusion taking over before anger. I thought...

He jolted as he felt something cold touch his body and released a hurt moan of protest.

"Shh, Master Riki," Jak whispered. "It's just me, it's just me."

Riki looked up into the boy's eyes, feeling ashamed that he was seen in such a state. A boy like him should not have to go through this, it wasn't right. "J..Jak..." he whispered.

"Don't speak," Jak pleaded, not looking into the pained black eyes. He continued to patch up the mongrel's wounds, before wiping down the other patches of the tanned skin.

"Thank you..." Riki squeaked.

Jak's eyes glistened as he nodded. "Rest now..." he instructed. "I'll bring you medicine in a moment."

Riki nodded and closed his eyes, blinking back the tears.


	22. The Journey Begins

Riki screamed again, his insides feeling as if they were being ripped out by Iason's massive length as the Prince thrust in and almost completely out over and over again. He could feel the warmth of blood dripping down his thighs and staining the sheets. Oh sweet fuck...Oh holy God...please! Please make it end!

"P...lease...!" Riki begged, his face wet with tears of agony.

Unmoved by the tears or the plea, Iason continued his movements of thrusting in and out, in and out. Deeper and deeper inside, burrowing himself into the most sensitive part of his exotic beauty as if there were no tomorrow. He couldn't stop...he couldn't stop.

What had he been missing all this time? This tightness and warmth was incomparable to anything he had done before to kill off any of his rare sexual urges. How could he have went so long without knowing about this hidden pleasure? He wanted more, but how much more could he take? If he did it again would it feel this good or even better? Did everyone feel this good? Why was he so aroused by Riki's cries? Other slaves had attempted to arouse him, but he had never reached this height of bliss before. It was truly divine.

He gripped onto Riki, pulling their hips flush and slamming down into him. He watched as Riki struggled, gripping onto the sheets as he screamed, moaned and cried. He watched as Riki's face twisted from hate and agony into one of pleasure and lust for more. It was fascinating and intoxicating as Iason found himself utterly captivated and aroused.

"Uuugh...Auuuughh!" Riki moaned in a scream, throwing his head back into the pillows and his body arching off the bed, pushed into Iason.

Iason felt Riki's insides clench down on him, the feeling was beyond words as his mind went blank and he found himself grasping onto Riki with a final slam and shuddering. He felt his hot seed shoot deep into Riki who moaned, still trembling in the aftermath of his own climax. Iason exhaled slowly, pulling Riki close; he would never share Riki with anyone and they were far from done...

—

He remembered the hours he had tormented his mongrel. The many things he had done, the many bruises he had given to Riki; all the tears of pain he had made the mongrel produce. Yes, he had been brutal. That was the only word to describe the harm he had done to Riki. Brutal. And it could be tagged along after another word—unnecessarily. He had been unnecessarily brutal to his mongrel.

Iason slammed his fist down on the mahogany wood desk, confused as to what he had just done. Why had he done it? He hadn't wanted to, but...but he had no control. He stiffened as he realized that at that moment he was now in control again. Now that he was away...from Riki. He gritted his teeth as he realized that he had once again been drugged.

"Raoul..." he hissed venomously.

—

Riki yelped in pain as Jak and Daryl helped him up from the bloodstained bed to go to the bathroom. He had absolutely refused to use a bed pan, and he would do everything in his power to avoid that humiliation. But currently, there was little he could do considering he was already in a shamefully nude and battered state while at the mercy of two young boy's grip.

"This isn't working!" Riki hissed. "Just...just put me down."

The boy quickly obliged, lowering him back to the bed. "What do you want us to do, Riki?" Jak asked. "Can we please just use it. You are injured and moving you does not seem like a good idea."

Riki gnashed his teeth together. To hell with it! "Fine, but you're both leaving!"

Jak positioned the cold metal basin close to Riki, before leaving the room along with Daryl. The mongrel hissed in pain and adjusted himself after several painful attempts so he could urinate. He was beyond pissed that the Prince had treated him this way after he was behaving so nicely.

—

Jak scooped the stream's cold water into the pail, filling it to the brim before lugging it upwards to the holder that was designed to clip to the saddle. The Prince and Riki had been training and working hard, so he knew they would need some cold refreshments.

"You there," a voice called.

Jak jolted, nearly spilling the pail as he was lifting it to the holder as he saw Prince Raoul standing before him, his white stallion behind him. "Y—your Highness!" he exclaimed, bowing with the pail in his hands. "What...what are you doing here?"

"You are to do exactly as I say," Raoul demanded. "If you do not put this mixture in Prince Iason's meal..." He leaned in close. "I will kill the little half blood you've been hiding in the back room."

—

Iason opened the door slowly, instantly glancing over at his mongrel that was curled in a ball and asleep on the bed. He entered the room, his footsteps cat like to ensure he was undetected. Prior to his arrival, he had put back a few glasses of the elixir wine which diffused whatever Raoul had used. He knew that if Raoul had ordered the servants to do the task of putting it in his food, and they would have no choice—especially if foul leverage was at play.

The Prince reached out and stroked Riki's cheek gently, relishing in the feeling of the smooth tanned skin beneath his fingertips. But pulled back as the tired black orbs pried open. "Riki..."

Riki looked at Iason gradually, his dark eyes full of blistering hate. "You son of a bitch..." he hissed, the venom thick in his tone.

"I know I have hurt you, but allow me to say that it was not entirely my fault again," Iason swiftly fired back, not allowing Riki to even think of continuing. "I was given the drug again. And because of it I hurt you." He touched Riki's arm, giving it a tender squeeze. "And I apologize."

The mongrel gritted his teeth, but knew that Iason was truly repentant. And he knew if he didn't get past this, the deal might be broken. "I can't even walk, you prick."

"Then allow me," the Prince started, scooping Riki up in his arms. "To carry you."

"Put me the fuck down," Riki snarled bitterly.

"Not a chance," Iason denied. "I believe a warm bath and some good food will help you." He glanced over at the door where Jak and Daryl were waiting behind. "Grab the medicinal supplies."

The sound of footsteps pattering away could be heard as the two went off to retrieve the items.

"I hate being carried!"

"Would you rather be dragged?" Riki didn't answer, so Iason took that as his response. "Then be silent and let me make it up to you."

—

Riki hissed in pain as his body slid into the hot water that was filled with medicinal herbs, remedies and such. The heat was the first thing that caused him pain as it scalded him, but then whatever was in the water seemed to penetrate the places of pain and add more. He gritted his teeth, but after a moment found himself going limp as he was numbed. Finally sighing, he relaxed and put his head back on the edge of the large tub.

"Is it helping?" Iason inquired, watching from his position of sitting backwards in a wooden chair. He rested his head in his arms that were folded on the top as his kept his careful eye on Riki, examining him for any signs of further pain.

"Y...Yes..."

The Prince nodded in approval and watched Riki for awhile before deciding to go. "Then I shall let you soak alone." He rose to his feet, tugging the chair to it's proper resting place against the wall with a scraping sound. "I'll return later when you want to get out, but I think you should stay in there for as long as possible and soak up all of the revitalizing aspects of the water."

"W...Where are you going?" Riki asked, confused as to where the blonde was headed.

"To take care of a few things," Iason simply answered, stepping out the door. His face immediately fell into a deep scowl as he headed out of the room and down the hall. "Daryl, bring my horse to the front. I'm going to the castle for a brief moment." Daryl bowed and hurried away, just as Jak arrived, carrying a tray of food for Riki. "Jak, ensure Riki's needs are maintained as always and see to his wounds being treated."

The Prince hurried down the hall, grabbing his cloak that was hanging up by the front entrance and threw it on, the fabric fluttering gracefully through the air before stilling against his body. He glanced at the weapons display and extracted a dagger from the collection and slid it into his tall riding boots before heading out the door.

—

A knock on his door had the green eyed Prince glance up from his desk with confusion. Katze had just gone out on an errand run for him and no one else should be disturbing him. Then the thought that it was his Mother entered and he closed all of his encrypted writings and placed other documents on top of them. "Come," he called, expecting his Mother to enter and question him about some trivial matter.

A moment passed, and no one entered, so Raoul rose, heading over to the door. "Mother, I said you could—" A sudden weight sent him flying backwards to the carpeted ground and when he looked up he saw two furious blue eyes framed in a marble face and curtained with blonde hair. "Ia—Aaaaugh—!"

Iason stabbed Raoul's hand into the floor, pressing the bolster deep into his brother's hand while muffling his scream with the other hand. He pressed his hand down hard, feeling Raoul's hot breath scald his skin as the muffled cries filled the air. "You thought you'd get away with it didn't you?" Iason hissed lowly. "You thought you could poison me and cause me to poison my relationship with Riki?"

Raoul's eyes grew wide and he stilled, allowing Iason to remove his hand now that he was quiet. "How did you?!" he demanded, huffing in pain.

Furious blue orbs penetrated deep into Raoul. "I am aware that food tends to taste different when spiked with certain remedies." Iason moved the dagger's blade around in the pinned flesh. "Or perhaps you take me for a fool, brother?"

"Gah...!" Raoul gasped. "Of...Of...course not!"

The Prince continued to move the blade, damaging the flooring further and shredding the flesh and bone of his brother's hand. "I want you to give me a potion and I will be on my way." He removed the blade, "And if you do not I will give your other hand the same treatment."

Raoul gasped in pain, studying his shaking hand. "You've gone mad...!"

"Does it count as going mad, Raoul, if you're the one that brought it upon yourself?" Iason demanded, wiping the bloodied blade off on Raoul's clothing. "You've betrayed me, brother. I'm simply reciprocating."

—

A soft knock sounded on the door, before it opened. "I've brought the items you requested..." Katze started, but froze in his tracks as he observed his new Master trying to cleanse his mangled hand dripping with blood. "My God what happened?" He hurried into the room and set down the items he had purchased. With gentle hands, he grasped onto the fellow Prince's hand.

"That...fool barged in and got his revenge on me for adding the potions to his food," Raoul spat, pouring a liquid from another crystal bottle onto his hand. The same potions that he used to heal Iason seemed to have minimal effect on him at the moment. "Dammit!"

Katze grasped his hand again, "Allow me, Master."

Raoul watched as Katze rolled up his sleeves and unraveled an off white strip of fabric from his arm and then wrapped his around his hand. He winced as Katze tugged it into a special knot. After glancing up apologetically, Katze held Raoul's hand between his and started muttering an unknown language very softly. Raoul's blonde eyebrow raised as he watch Katze, but he did not interfere out of curiosity.

Katze ran his finger along Raoul's large and slender hand before starting to unravel the fabric and cease to chant. Pulling off the fabric, Raoul's eyes nearly jumped from his skull as he stared at his healed wound. He looked to Katze who simply began wrapping the fabric around his arms again, covering a section that appeared to have markings.

The green eyed Prince captured Katze's shoulders, "What did you just do...?"

"I healed you," Katze bluntly answered. "Didn't I?"

—

Iason stepped back into the bathroom to find his mongrel asleep in the tub, relaxed so much that he didn't even stir upon his arrival. A soft chuckle rumbled in his chest and he waved Jak, who had been keeping an eye on Riki, away. "Riki..." he called gently, setting down the potion bottle on the chair before approaching.

Riki finally pried his sleepy eyes open after a moment, so relaxed he didn't even flinch as Iason touched him. "I...I fell asleep..." he mumbled.

"You did," Iason nodded. "That means the medicine did it's job."

The mongrel nodded sleepily. "I guess I should get out now, huh?" he noted.

"Unless you wish to become a prune, then yes," Iason agreed. "That would be wise." He extended his hand. "Grab on."

Riki weakly grabbed hold of Iason's arms, and within a few movements he was up and wrapped in a towel. He hugged the towel to him, surprised that he felt no pain at all considering the abuse his body had been through. He looked at Iason who approached with a spoon and a crystal bottle full of a liquid. "What's that?" he questioned.

"Something that will aid in any trauma the medicine didn't cure," the Prince answered, pouring the goop out onto the silverware and holding it up. "Say ahh, wolf cub."

"Fuck no, what is that shit?"

"I do not enjoy repeating myself, Riki." Iason brought the spoon closer to his lips. "Ahh..."

Riki glowered, but opened his mouth and let the spoon slide in, surprised when a sweet taste filled his mouth. He swallowed it, before looking to Iason in confusion. "What is that shit?"

"Sweet, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but what is it?"

"I call it Liquid Ambrosia, but it's a potion more commonly known as Purification." Iason screwed the lid on before he set the bottle on the shelf. "As it name states, it cleans your system of any impurities or harms."

"I could drink that shit any day," Riki commented, licking his lips.

Iason grinned, "Too much can be fatal." He exhaled, clapping his hands together. "Now then. Shall we go out to get some fresh air to aid your recovery?"

—

Riki and Iason rode in silence, the calming sounds of nature relieving them of any need to speak as they both listened contently. Riki gently touched the arm that Iason had wrapped around his waist for support, but did not fuss like before. He was in such a calm and relaxed state, he almost forgot what it was like to be angry. He didn't even mind the fact he didn't have his own horse at the moment.

Iason gave Riki a gentle squeeze, pulling him closer and Riki leaned back against him which caused satisfaction to course through his veins and a deep happiness to blossom within him. If only he could keep Riki with him like this forever. He wished he could slow down time, letting them ride on the back of the stallion in their content embrace until the end of the world itself.

But alas, the horse led them to the stream on habit and soon Riki slipped down from the horse and sat down. He pulled his knees close as he sat his behind on a rock ledge. "...Our...Our deal..." he mumbled, glancing up at Iason. "It's still..."

"The deal has not changed," Iason confirmed. "You will still be my right hand man during battle."

Riki nodded, relieved he hadn't blown his opportunity. But then he began to question why it would be invalid in the first place? He hadn't done anything. But then again, Iason hadn't intentionally done the wrongful act on purpose, he hoped. That bastard Raoul only acted like he didn't mind the taboo relationship he knew he and Iason were developing. Riki shook his head, to be betrayed by your own brother though...

Riki's heart clenched, he was such a hypocrite. He was no better! He had abandoned Guy and his Clan in search for something better, and that was the worst betrayal of all. And because of that, people had died. People he cared about.

Iason sat down next to Riki, touching the tanned forehead with his cool hand. "Are you alright? You look as if you're paler. And you're warmer than usual. Are you running a fever?"

"I'm fine," Riki snapped, brushing off Iason's touch. "I'm just going to get some water. I'm thirsty."

Riki rose to his feet, trudging over to the sacred stream and getting on his knees. He dipped his hands in the icy cold water and splashed his face before drinking some. It sent a chill through him that seemed to spread through his entire body.

It is time. The familiar and haunting voice announced.

"What?" Riki whispered, his heart stopping and a sudden wave of heat taking him by surprise.

You must become your true self.

"Hnnngh!" Riki groaned, his sides heaving as his tanned skin glowed with a sheen of sweat. He gripped the dirt and moss weakly with his quivering fingers, trying to grab hold of something to keep him from falling. It felt like he was going to fall through the ground into whatever was consuming him!

"Riki! What happened?" Iason exclaimed, rushing forward to the distraught mongrel. His chest tightened with worry as he watch Riki gripped his chest and gritted his teeth. Iason fell to his knees, wrapping his arms around the boy and trying to lift him up and take him back to the fort.

Embrace the feelings. They are a part of you. You must accept them.

"N...no!" Riki growled, his voice rough like two gears grinding as he pushed Iason away. "Get away!"

Iason was shocked by the hit that threw him back into the dirt. He blinked as he took in the distance that Riki had thrown him back with the amount of force. "Riki...!"

Let your anger loose, do not hold back the transformation or it will be painful.

A spine chilling growl shook Riki's frame, his arms shaking under the weight of his body. His back arched toward the earth in a downward dip as a feral moan flush with anguish pierced the air while a shudder tore through him.

Unsure of what to do, Iason slowly approached, analyzing silently and swiftly as Riki sat up and gripped his head while spouting endless growls and beastly moans that permeated fear through the Prince's body. Each hair on his body was raised from the terror of the unknown.

Riki emitted a sharp and loud cry and started to viciously dig his fingernails into his skull and scratch. Feeling helpless, Iason threw his cloak over the terrifying young man. Riki growled, thrashing under the coverage as Iason snagged him in his arms, using all of his strength to hold the now substantially stronger mongrel.

"Calm down! Calm down!" Iason commanded, throwing the enclosed and thrashing mongrel over his shoulder. Using his other hand he heaved himself up into the saddle and draped the thrashing Riki across in front of him. The transformation was starting, and the Prince had no idea of what to expect. There was so little that was known about the transformation process. But all Iason knew was he needed to get Riki back before the anger took control of him completely, or all hell would break loose.

—

Iason jumped off his horse, landing on the steps to the fort and chucked Riki inside. He then started to lock the large doors, quickly sealing the mongrel off from the outside to prevent him from destroying everything.

He turned around and saw Riki in a defensive crouch, his once black orbs now had a ring of gold around the iris and he was baring his teeth while saliva bubbled up and dripped from his lips down his chin.

Unleash your anger on him and transform.

"R...Riki...?" Iason tentatively called, crouching down slightly so that Riki would not perceive him as a threat.

He has tormented you. Why do you hesitate?

Riki snarled, throwing his head around wildly and then clawing at the carpet. His once trimmed nails now gained a black tint and had grown substantially into ten pointed talons that shredded effortlessly through the thick fabric of the rug.

"Riki?" Iason repeated, crouching down completely. "Riki, are you all right?"

Embrace the change. Unleash your anger.

The mongrel frowned, squinting slightly as he stared just off from Iason's feet. A hurt whimper escaped as he winced.

Unleash your anger.

The Prince reached out to touch the shaking boy, "Riki?"

Immediately Riki lunged forward, digging his claws into Iason's neck. The Prince pushed Riki's face away, the glinting white fangs inches from his throat. One bite and his throat would be ripped off from his body. Dark crimson spilled from the puncture wounds, oozing out faster as Riki dug his claws in deeper into the flesh. Iason's mouth opened and closed as his throat pooled with blood and he started to choke. He couldn't breathe because of the liquid he was drowning from.

Riki huffed, groaning bestially as he looked at Iason's wide blue eyes. He couldn't stop himself. He couldn't stop. He had to kill this man, didn't he? Hadn't this man tormented and tortured him? Why should he live? Had he really been going to give him a new life as a respected being? When he felt Iason still beneath him, he froze. The blue eyes remained frozen on him, but that hands that were gripping on him had went limp and let go.

Enough.

Riki extracted his claws from the flesh, shaking as he realized what he had done. He had just...just killed...

"No..." Riki breathed, touching Iason's face between his hands. "No, no, no!" He stroked his finger along the marble skin, urging the Prince to life again. His trembling hands slid down to the mangled neck, his fingers leaving a trail in the crimson. "What...what have I...?" he choked. He hadn't wanted him dead! He hadn't wanted him dead, right?

He's not dead.

"He...he's..."

He's not.

"Shut up!" Riki barked, abruptly rising from straddling the lifeless Prince and looking around to where the voice was. "Shut up, shut up, shut up!" In reality, he was dead. Iason was completely dead! The man in front of him was no longer living because he had killed him without realizing what he was doing!

You cannot silence me. I am your guide for all of your living days.

Riki started to pant heavily, utterly confused and distressed by the occurrences. "Shut up! Shut up!" Oh God, what had he done? Without Iason, he was trapped in here. Without Iason, he would be killed by the slave hunters. Without Iason...

The time has come. The voice warned. Embrace it.

"Shutupshutupshutup!" Riki screamed, falling to his knees and gripping his head so hard his knuckles turned white as they shook.

Iason blinked, his wounds sealing up as they healed and then disappeared. His ears were filled with a ringing sound as his lungs were filled with a sweet tasting air that filled him with warmth, and just beyond the ringing there seemed to be muffled screaming. As if someone were screaming in pure anguish over the loss of something important. He slowly glanced over, and saw Riki on his knees, his body arched and shuddering as if someone where shaking him to pieces. "Ri...ki..." he whispered, his body almost healed as it pieced itself together again and restarted.

A distraught scream echoed off the walls as he suddenly started to darken. His skin gaining a new hue of black that continued to deepen until he was darker than midnight without a moon in the sky. Riki groaned and huffed for breath as if his lungs were being squeezed, saliva dripping from his lips that were curled upwards in a snarl.

"Riki...!" Iason softly called, slowly sitting up and reaching out to touch the boy.

Suddenly a thick coat of fur started to pop up and grow on the darkened areas as the clothing of Riki's well fitting breeches started to tear from the sudden intrusion. Riki released a guttural cry and panted frantically, his head feeling like it was going to shatter along with all of his brains.

You will transform and fall into darkness.

"Oh...God...!" Riki choked, before he felt his body start to change shape.

Embrace the darkness and let your instincts take over.

In his mind, Riki began to see himself on his knees and a dark figure embracing him, their foreheads pressed together as a chant filled the air. Embrace it, embrace the darkness. Embrace the wolf in you. Embrace it. Embrace it.

Iason watched as Riki began to morph before his eyes, his arms changing into canine like legs and his hands into paws. His behind grew a puff of black fur and a tail appeared, before Riki's front shifted into bony shoulders and a wolf head. A soft whimper escaped the creatures lips and Iason couldn't help but gasp in both amazement and amusement. Iason crawled forward, reaching out to touch the creature, feeling it's soft black pelt beneath his fingers.

The Prince chuckled as he scooped up the small wolf into his arms and gave him a gentle shake. "I didn't think..." he smiled, giving the silky smooth ears a gentle caress. "You'd actually be a wolf cub."

The tiny eyes slowly peeked open and blinked, before the wolf's tiny mouth widened to reveal pink toothless gums in a yawn. He sneezed before whimpering and shifting in the hold.

"Riki?" Iason queried, stroking the wolf cub's fur. "Can you hear me?"

The black and gold orbs looked up to the blonde, and immediately the tiny form tensed and thrashed around in the hold, clawing his way free.

"Riki!"

Riki burst down the hallway, running blindly through the area. His floppy paws lost traction on the marble floor, and he slipped as he gained speed. His body arched forward and he rammed straight into a thick legged, wooden table and yelped on impact. The creature snorted a few times as he sat up in a daze, before getting up again and scampering further down the hallway, gaining traction on the carpet with Iason hot on his tail.

What's going on? What's going on? Riki panicked, screaming into the darkness as he had no control over the body he was in. I can't see! Where am I? Help me! Help me! I can't...! I have no control!

"Riki, wait!" the Prince beckoned, chasing after the wolf cub that was fleeing down the halls. "You're going to run into the...!"

Riki blindly crashed straight into the wooden paneled wall, the force shaking a vase off the table that was above him and sending Riki flying backwards from the impact and whimpering in pain. He shook his head rapidly, his black velvet ears flapping from side to side with each movement and was about to step forward, missing the sharp edge of the broken vase by a hair.

Iason scooped him up swiftly. "Calm down. You're fine." He touched the small wolf face, feeling for any damages from hitting the objects and searching for glass shards. "You're fine, Riki."

Riki started gnawing on Iason's fingers, trying to get them away from him mouth. He flicked his head from side to side, snorting as he tried to get the intruding limbs away.

"Come on Riki, behave—" he ordered, but stopped as he was surprised as Riki then began to suckle on the intruding fingers. He watched for a moment, a bit confused, before finally deciding. "Are you hungry?"

The tiny wolf suckled fiercely on the finger, trying to drain it of the fluid it was supposed to be producing—milk. He whimpered softly as no milk met his mouth, he wanted the valuable resource that would nourish his weak body.

One thing at a time, Iason decided.

—

Iason carried Riki to the kitchen having tightly secured the wiggling pup in his arms before letting him free in the enclosed dinning room. Jak peeked his head inside and then froze. "Y...your Highness...?"

"Go fetch some milk, quickly." He warned Riki wobble along, before plopping down in a corner and curling up. "Take Daryl with you, and prepare a fire so it's still warm when it reaches here."

"Y—yes, your Majesty," Jak stuttered, watching the tiny wolf in awe before disappearing.

Iason walked over to the corner and sat down in front of Riki, effectively trapping him from running away. He reached out to touch the wolf cub, a bit surprised as the little creature leaned into his touch and seemed to enjoy it. The Prince was rather fascinated by how his slave had been diminished to such a tiny creature. Where did the human he once knew go?

He watched silently with his usual stoic expression as the pup trotted around, bumping into a few chair legs every so often as it wandered aimlessly. It was a rather peculiar sight, a wolf cub running around the dining room. Not something he imagined would occur in his lifetime or wildest dreams.

—

The wolf licked Iason's fingers, taking the milk that was dampening them. It was warm and tasty, but it wasn't flowing from the protruding limb like it was supposed to. It was just a few drops that his tiny tongue eagerly licked off.

"Now drink," Iason ordered lowly, lowering Riki's snout into the small basin of warm milk.

Riki simply snorted, splashing the milk on his snout everywhere, ignoring the idea and sucked on Iason's fingers again.

"Riki," Iason growled with a frown, getting a bit more annoyed. "Stop this game and drink properly."

The wolf craned his head away from the milk, clearly not interested in drinking from anything that was not the proper method for a newborn pup. He released a soft two second howl sound as he squirmed in Iason's hold. The Prince tightened his hold and the pup's head snapped back to Iason's arm, sniffling the limb that was preventing him from moving.

"Jak!" the Prince called, still trying to maneuver the pup's snout into the milk basin. "I need something to feed...the wolf cub with! See if we have anything similar...come on you... to a nipple!"

The young servant raised an eyebrow at the order, but did not protest as he headed into the kitchen to rummage around and see if there was anything that he could either find or throw together to meet the Master's request.

Iason set the wolf pup down in defeat, watching as the fluffy cub simply flopped to the ground, his limbs sticking out. He looked up to Iason with his black and gold eyes, before opening his toothless mouth and panting. "What an obstinate thing you are," Iason commented bitterly. He gave a tap to the pup's head before once again trying to estimate with his keen eyes how old the pup was. It was too big to be a newborn, but it had newborn qualities: toothless and blind. However, the pup's body, legs and paws would suggest a few weeks or even a few months old. It was hard to estimate the appropriate age.

"Awoo~" the little wolf howled softly, licking Iason's hand playfully.

Iason looked down at the sound, wondering if it was actually Riki in control or if the wolf instinct has taken over. His biggest fear, though, was not knowing if his human Riki would ever come back.

—

"There, now drink." Iason held the makeshift nipple full of a bit of liquid from the attached bottle of milk to the wolf cub's nose. He watched as the tiny black body part sniffed a few times before permission was granted to partake in the meal the nipple had to offer. He raised an eyebrow as the wolf cub started pawing him as if trying to push milk out. "I'm not the one giving you milk, little wolf." He tilted the bottle a bit more so that the creature could continue to drink.

Why am I not able to do anything? Riki demanded from his curled up position. He was in complete darkness, except he could see through the eyes of the wolf he was trapped within as if they were two large windows. I'm not in control. I can't do anything...

Naturally. The dark figure manifested beside him, mimicking his position. Your instincts have taken over to give your body a start in growing. And once you've learned how to move and eat, it will be easier.The dark hand reached out and touched him. Have you calmed down now?

Riki moved away, perturbed by the fact something not real could touch him. How long will it be like this?

Only a few days. Then you can have control and I will teach you how to transform. The figure rose. Your emotions and reactions can reflect through your wolf form at certain times. Such as your fear which sent him running down the halls and into the wall. Don't let your emotions run rampant. You must remain calm to get the most from the few days of instinct. Can you not feel your body absorbing the knowledge?

So that's what the voices and unintentional movements were. Ever since it started, he was hearing his voice in his mind, noting certain things and his body moving in the same way the wolf was. So it was all part of the instinct, huh?

Everything will go as planned and you will be back to yourself in a few days. Do not fear this time, take it as your chance to reflect on your life and your plans now that your power is growing.

Riki scoffed, watching as Iason continued to feed him. There was a look in Iason's eyes he had never seen before, maybe it was the look of a parent for an infant or maybe it was just his gentle curiosity towards him. His blue eyes clashed with his neutral and cold expression as they had a hint of compassion or even love within them maybe. It looked like the gaze his parents gave him when they said he loved him. Riki rose to his feet, walking up to the windows and reaching out to touch the coldness of the scene before him that was forever out of his reach as he remained captive.

—

"Awoo~"

"What is it?" Iason inquired, looking up from his desk after being lost deep in his thoughts and work. "What—"

The little wolf trotted forward, carrying a shredded book in his mouth triumphantly with a huge grin. He set it down and looked to Iason for approval, panting like a puppy.

"You dirty rotten..." Iason ground out, studying the damage. "That was an important book too."

"Awooo~" the wolf howled softly in victory.

Iason rose up, towering over his desk to look down upon the little wolf cub with his once loving eyes darkened with an angry glare that could boil water. Immediately, the black puffy tail went between the two back legs as the front arched downward in submission and fear. The Prince walked around the desk, with each step forward, the wolf took one back.

"Arr!" the wolf whimpered, turning to scamper away from the threat, but was snatched up. He started thrashing around and whimpering as if Iason were stabbing him. He bit down on Iason with his toothless mouth, trying to get away.

Iason tightened his hold and gave the frightened ball of fur a shake. "You little...!" he hissed.

The wolf continued to howl and cry in fear, and the noise was rather revolting. It was unpleasant to Iason and he knew he would have to reign in his anger or he would hurt Riki—if he was in there.

"OK, OK, calm down, calm down..." he quickly soothed. "I'm not going to hurt you." He started to walk around the room, trying to ease the scared pup as if it were a baby. He was by no means an expert, but from what he had witnessed, this sometimes did the trick. He started humming a simple tune, remembering that was what the women used to sometimes do. He was mad about the book yes, but it could be replaced and if he lashed out at the wolf cub, Riki would get hurt in this vulnerable state.

Riki perked up from within the darkness, hearing the tune and looked to the two windows. He had never heard that tune specifically, but it reminded him of the song his Mother used to hum and he found himself hit with a wave of exhaustion as he curled up and gave into tiredness produced by the swaying motion and lullaby.

—

The Prince returned from the bathroom and crawled into the bed, he stroked the sleeping pup's fur a few more times before blowing out the candle at the bedside. He grabbed the snoozing wolf and pulled it close, wanting to bring Riki close, wherever he was. The little wolf opened it's eyes in shock, before relaxing at the sight of Iason and then snuggling into him. The Prince smiled and was pleasantly surprised at how much body heat the ball of fur could produce. The bedroom was always a little bit cold, but now it was as if he had his own personal sun next to him to keep him warm.

"Goodnight, Riki," Iason whispered.

In reply, the pup buried his head into Iason's chest and then slid under the marble arm to ensure that he was being held. Then the cub produced a soft grunt that the Prince remembered Riki would make when he had done such a thing to him in human form. That was when he knew the message had been received and his Riki was still next to him.


	23. The Last Visitor

She dug her long, elegant fingers into the padded throne armrests. Her purple eyes brimming with disapproval as she cast a puncturing gaze at the two standing before her. "You're leaving as well?" Jupiter snapped, her teeth grinding painfully against each other. "First Iason and now you..."

"Mother," Raoul calmly called, stepping forward. The simple action sent his black cloak fluttering gracefully through the air, the gold lining catching the light. "If I may explain..."

"Oh yes," the Queen bitterly hissed. "Please do explain." She leaned forward in her chair to further glare down upon her son.

Holding back a sigh, Raoul nodded briskly. "My assistant and I would request leave to venture out in hopes of retrieving a rare medicinal herb."

The purple eyes narrowed, darkening with the bitterness that was seeping out. "Go on..." she reluctantly agreed, eyeing up Katze with an interrogating and beyond intimidating gaze.

"My assistant has supplied me with information as to the whereabouts of some sacred lands which are unknown to others," the blonde informed, casually walking about. Each step sent his boots clicking softly against the thick crimson carpet. "This herb holds the promise of aiding promptly in the recovery from injuries due to wars or even household accidents."

"And why, my son, must you go?" she demanded, her nails digging harshly into the wooden panel of the throne. Her nostrils flared as her glare did not leave the redhead who she was hoping might crack, but he kept his cool exterior.

"The lands are sacred and untouched by man," Raoul continued, stepping in front of Katze. "Too many presences upon the land may contaminate the herbs purity."

Not entirely buying it, but seeing her son so adamant, she caved. Jupiter leaned back, biting her inner lip as she decided to grant her son freedom. "Very well," she concluded. "But I demand you return as soon as you can. I will not stand for you or Iason being absent from your main events."

"Yes, Mother."

—

Raoul walked briskly down the halls, heading to his room. The moment they stepped inside Katze could no longer contain himself. "You lie to your own Mother?" he asked incredulously.

"What do you expect me to do, Katze?"

"I know full well we are not going to retrieve a herb as I have said nothing of a sort..." Katze stated. "And I kept my mouth shut even though if Her Majesty knew we were lying she would kill me."

"Indeed," Raoul brushed off the last part. "We are going to find the last fragments of sorcery in these blasted lands."

Katze blinked, staring at the Prince as if he was from another world. "P...Pardon?"

Raoul started rummaging through a box and pulled a rolled up map out from the pile. He blew on the archaic paper, sending a wave of dust through the air and laid the map out onto the table.

"Y...You don't mean we're gonna find the..."

Raoul glanced up at Katze, a grin on his face. "Yes."

"You think it still exists?" Katze demanded, peering at the map that contained a bunch of markings on it that he could vaguely make out.

"I know it does." Raoul pointed to the map. "There lies the Zeolbite Stone." He looked to Katze, his green eyes dancing with excitement. "The last stone which is said to possess one magical trait from all of the Clans."

Katze frowned, started to protested but stopped before trying again. "Forgive me, your Highness. But I recall hearing the stone's destruction."

Raoul's grin widened. "You are wrong." He pulled a desk drawer open, pulling out a shattered stone. "This is the supposed Zeolbite Stone which was said to be destroyed, but take a closer look."

Taking the stone, Katze ran his fingers along the edge, noticing that it lacked the described sensation one has when touching the true Zeolbite Stone. It doesn't hurt..." he trailed, observing the stone closer. "The tales said it would feel like it—"

"Bites?" Raoul finished.

"Yes..." Katze held the stone up, peering into the insides as it captured the sunlight. "...This is a rare Juniumasite..."

"Indeed it is," Raoul agreed, finally capturing Katze's gaze as he gripped onto the redhead's shoulders. "Do you know what this means?"

"That it's still out there..." he breathed in disbelief. His Clan had hunted high and low to find and preserve the stone that held he majority of their Clan's secret powers within, finally giving up the day the day the Royal family had announced that the all magic stones had been destroyed and that magic was now a crime. It was not the Zeolbite Stone his Clan wanted, but rather the paired stone that contained his Clan's darkest magic and secrets.

"We shall find both the Zeolbite Stone," Raoul explained, giving the boy's neck a gentle squeeze. "And your Clan's sacred gem, the Katzerahedrite Stone."

—

Iason opened his eyes, the morning sunlight beaming through the stained glass panels, projecting lights of pink and blue across the room from behind the bars. His eyes drifted to the sleeping wolf within his hold, it was small and so peaceful looking. The Prince smiled as the pup's paw twitched while he slept before it wiggled around a bit. Iason gently stroked the black pelt, admiring how unexpectedly soft it was; then again, when had he touched a wolf?

Tiny dark eyes snapped open due to the contact, darting around before closing as the pup's mouth exposed it's pink toothless gums. Finally waking, the mongrel sat up, his tongue lolling out as he panted happily.

"Good morning, little wolf cub," Iason greeted quietly, scratching the pup's ears.

The wolf cub indulged in the pleasure of being petted, nuzzling into the touch. Iason blinked, removing his hand from petting the fuzzy creature and watched the sheets beneath him darken as a stain grew. He closed his eyes, telling himself that it was just a pup and if he hurt him, Riki could be harmed.

The pup blinked, realizing what it had done and sniffed the fabric guiltily. He looked up to Iason whimpering, his tail sliding between his legs as he crouched beside his accident.

"It's all right," Iason assured with annoyance, rolling out of the bed and slipping into his robe. "Come here." He opened his arms to the shaking pup, watching as he shrank away from the possible contact. "Come, Riki, before you make another mess." He caught the trembling pup and held him close, gently stroking his fur again as he reigned his anger in. "It was an accident, I'm not angry."

Riki whimpered in the hold, his wet nose meeting the Prince's face before he gave a gentle lick of apology.

The Prince carried him promptly out the room, the door bursting open and nearly taking out Jak who was in the middle of knocking. "Strip the sheets from the bed and then prepare a bath before breakfast."

Jak nodded wearily as he watched the Prince hurry down the halls with the pup in his arms. What a strange sight to see first thing in the morning from the almighty Prince.

—

Iason set Riki down on the loose stone path outside the Fort. Immediately the wolf scampered away, it's paws scraping across the rocky path as it headed for the privacy of a patch of dirt behind a small cluster of a bush. Riki circled around before crouching low, disappearing completely behind the coverage of the leaves.

Deciding to give him some privacy, Iason sat down on the steps, looking up to the dreary skies. "It might rain today..." he murmured, observing the darkened clouds in the distance. He turned his attention away from the sky as the sound of a loud yelp and then scampering across the rocky path approached him rapidly. With barely enough time, he opened his arms to catch the wolf cub who leaped into his arms, whimpering. "What's the matter?" he inquired, holding him close.

The Prince's blue eyes drifted to the bush and saw what had scared the tiny wolf. Within the bush slithered a young Centrochelomoloch who had camouflaged into the vegetation. It was so rare to see the reptilian beast away from it's natural habitat of the mountainous regions of Midas, and even more perplexing was the fact this one was green and able to camouflage— they were usually pale blue. Iason held the unwavering gaze of the creature's piercing crimson eyes that sat wickedly in it's horned, narrow skull. It hissed furiously, stealthily gliding from the bush and to the ground where it finally extended it's stubby scaled legs that were armed with talons that it could retract within it's body. It extended out it's wings that were just below it's scaly shoulders that reached all the way down to its pelvis. The thick skin that protected it's wings along with the eerie bone structure and talons on each end gave it a diabolical appearance. It crouched low, it's rumpled and long thin tongue slipping from it's mouth, revealing it's razor sharp teeth as it hissed again.

Rising up to his feet, Iason stared the creature down as he began to back up the steps. Riki trembled within his arms as they slowly made their way into the safety of the Fort. The moment they were inside, Iason slammed the door shut, just as soon as the beast charged ahead, slamming itself into the door. Centrochelomolochs had thick skulls that were lined with horns that could crush a man's bones with one hit, but Iason knew they were safe inside the Fort, as it was pretty much able to withstand anything. Riki scampered away, hiding underneath the chair that Iason had brought out the first night they were there.

After a few moment's, the thudding stopped and the creature slithered back down from the steps.

With a sigh, Iason turned to see Daryl and Jak standing within right hallway, peeking out from the kitchen door to see what the noise was all about. He calmly looked at them. "Don't go outside for awhile, there is a Centrochelomoloch hiding in the bushes." The servants nodded before returning to preparing breakfast, fear filled their eyes as they realized they could have died this morning when they went to get a few items from outside as they believed it was going to rain. Iason then glanced to Riki who was still sitting under the chair. Within a few steps, he had picked up the shaking cub and held him close, observing for any wounds. "Come on, let's calm down and take a bath."

—

"Behave, Riki," Iason demanded, stepping into the bathtub with the squirming pup in his arms. "It's just water." He lowered himself into the tub, holding tightly onto the wolf cub who howled in protest and splashed around as he was dipped into the water. Seeing there was no other choice, but to teach him to be obedient, he let go.

Immediately the black fur ball dropped under the water, before bursting up as it snorted and splashed wildly to stay above water. You bastard! Riki hissed at the Prince inside, seeing how the pup couldn't understand how to stay afloat. Swim! Swim, dammit! He began to imitate the doggy paddle, hoping the action would carry through to the wolf's body. We're gonna drown if you don't listen to me!

Iason was about to grab onto the panicking pup, when it suddenly jolted as if standing in attention and then began to wad around in the water as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Both confused and amused at the talent of the pup, Iason watched silently as the cub swam around in a few circles as if ensuring it was doing it correctly before making it's way back to the blonde who was waiting with open arms. "Very good," he praised gruffly, holding the pup close and giving him a pat on the head.

Thank God, Riki sighed in relief.

You taught yourself how to do something, the voice congratulated. And now you have a deeper connection to your body, meaning you will gain control sooner than expected. You are adjusting far better than expected. You even sensed the Centrochelomoloch when your wolf instincts did not.

Years of practice, Riki laughed. I'm used to being hunted, so I know when I'm being watched.

I'm impressed.

"Hold still," Iason chided, applying the soap to the cub. "The sooner we get you cleaned, the sooner we can eat. Don't you want to eat, Riki?"

Riki felt the connection with the wolf cub deepen further, felt the hunger within the creature's stomach. Behave and we can eat.

The wolf cub stopped struggling, obediently sitting still as Iason carefully cleaned it's fur, paws and body. "There, it wasn't that bad, right?" Iason confirmed, smirking as the pup simply looked up to him and sighed as if agreeing. He poured some water over top of the pup and then set him outside the tub after he was rinsed.

Riki flopped on the floor and the rose up, shaking himself until there was barely any water left upon him. He turned as he heard a soft chuckle and saw Iason rising out of the water, looking at him with gentle blue eyes. What? Riki asked, shocked as his wolf form produced a sound. He realized he was really connected to the body now, he almost had full control. He sneezed as some water droplets tickled his nose, nearly tumbling over as he lost his balance from the force and then found his small body scooped up by a firm and gentle grasp before a towel captured him.

Iason rubbed the towel against the tiny body, before setting the bundle down on a chair as he tended to himself. "Stay," he warned firmly, looking the pup in the eyes and motioning with his hand. When the cub made no attempt to move, he backed off and then started to dry himself and then search for his clothing. He glanced up with alert eyes at the pup as it produced a sound, but relaxed as he saw the wolf stretch and yawn before resting his head down, his tiny eyes following the Prince's movements.

After he was done dressing, he unwrapped the pup from the towel and set him down. "I'm trusting you to behave. I want you to be able to move on your own independently without misbehaving." The Prince took a step back, waiting for the pup's reaction. He could easily snatch him up and punish him, but he had hoped it wouldn't be like that forever. And what if he injured Riki? Was Riki even in control? Where was he?

Blinking tiredly, the wolf looked up to Iason who did not move as he returned the gaze. "Awoo..." the wolf sounded as if annoyed, his eyes turning to the door before going to Iason again. When Iason didn't budge, the cub snorted and sat down, staring up at the Prince, his tiny black tail thumping against the carpet as he waited for them to go get breakfast.

Cautiously, Iason headed over to the door and then opened it a bit. His blue eyes narrowed on the wolf who rose, stretched and then padded over to the door, but did not leave. The black eyes looked up to Iason and then the tiny opening in te door that he could fit through if he tried, but he waited. "Are you going to behave?" Iason inquired.

"Awoo~"

Nodding, the Prince pulled open the door and stepped out, looking back at the tiny wolf cub that followed him. He couldn't help but feel that maybe if he got closer to the wolf cub, he might get even closer to Riki.

—

Raoul sat down beside Katze who was tending to the fire. They were alone in the darkness of the forest after their first journey, nothing but the sound of the fire, the insects chirping and the odd howl of a wolf in the distance. "We traveled farther than expected," Raoul noted, tracing out their location on the map.

"We still have a long way ahead of us," Katze dismissed, stirring the fire coals so that they crackled loudly and shot sparks up into the air. "I'd say about a week or maybe more."

"Plausible," Raoul agreed, putting the map away. He found his green eyes wander upon his assistant, a feeling of curiosity taking over him. "It is said that the Zabeus Cayus Clan are the world's greatest seducers, yet you seem to lack in that area."

Katze clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes. "Your Highness, where did you hear such foolish talk?" No way was he going to admit that their Clan did have a reputation for seducing others into doing their wishes. Nor was he going to reveal that he had a spell which prevented him from being seduced easily, as their Clan were weak to seduction as well as skilled in it.

Raoul flexed an eyebrow, "So it's true?"

Katze frowned, "Your Highness—" His eyes widened as he found Raoul's lips against his moments before a warm tongue invaded his mouth, scraping along the sensitive sides of the enclave. "Mmmf..."

Feeling rather pleased by that sound, Raoul proceeded. He buried his tongue further inside, subtly pinpointing the exact spot on the boy's tongue and stroking it with his tongue before he pulled back and uttered the words, almost losing to the strong seduction magic that the redhead supplied through the contact. Katze gasped for breath as they broke off, both shocked that Raoul could pull away and at how amazing that kiss was, neglecting to hear the spell words Raoul had said. The Prince's eyes narrowed upon the boy, as he ran his fingers along the lips and opened the mouth, smiling to himself as he stared at the seal upon the boy's tongue. "Seems they were wrong, you are terrible," he bluffed harshly, pushing away from redhead with fake disgust. "Goodnight."

Katze stared at him, cursing softly at the Prince who just mindlessly kissed him. "What the hell was that?" he spat, gritting his teeth. For anyone of the Zabeus Cayus Clan to be called horrible with seducing was practically being called worthless. And to be called worthless by a virgin Prince was utterly beyond humiliating.

—

Riki slurped at the milk bowl, slashing the white liquid across the floor carelessly. He had gnawed through the makeshift nipple with his budding teeth which left this as their only option. With his face covered in milk, he looked up to Iason and howled softly.

"Drink properly," Iason chided tiredly, sipping his cup of tea gracefully.

Riki stuck his nose back into the bowl, sucking and lapping the liquid up. He got the most liquid when he used his floppy pink tongue to lick off his face which was dripping wet. He couldn't seem to master lapping up milk like he'd seen dogs lap water, so he was trying his best. Finally satisfied, he burped softly and then trotted under the table.

Iason glanced down, noticing the black tail disappear under the wooden table and from his sight. "You had better behave, Riki. You've made too many messes today." He sat still, trying to detect any sound and when none met his ears, he assumed Riki had heeded the warning and was laying down. Elegantly grasping onto his teacup, he took another sip before biting into his slice of bread that was fresh from Daryl baking it earlier this morning. He had requested it be toasted so he could put some fruit jam upon it and savor it better. He took another bite, the crunching sound filling the air as the taste of the preserved berries flooding his mouth and taste buds. Except when he swallowed, he noticed that a crunching sound continued.

The Prince pushed back his chair and rose, heading over to the sound of something crunching into the wood. His eyes narrowed as he saw the ball of black fur curled around a chair leg, and then walked into a different view to see Riki gnawing on the wood with his new found teeth.

Inhaling a deep, shaking breath of anger, Iason tried to control himself. "Riki," he hissed lowly.

The wolf cub stopped mid gnaw, as if releasing what he was doing and spat out the wood crumble in his mouth. His eyes wandered up to the Prince as his tail slid between his legs. I...I didn't... Riki stammered internally, the words projecting in whimpers in the wolf cub's form. He directed the wolf to stand up and back away to the edge of the wall. I didn't mean...

Iason grabbed onto the wolf cub by his scruff, carrying him out of the room and down the halls. Riki whimpered, howled and yelped as he struggled to get out, fearful of his consequences. Finally he met the cold hard ground with a yelp, sliding across a cold surface and becoming disorientated before trying to rush back to Iason. He watched as the Prince disappeared and darkness surrounded him. No! No, wait! Riki pleaded, terrified of the dark room. He was practically blind in the dark, what if he wasn't alone? Wait!

The Prince stood outside the door listening to the soft thud of the cub hitting the door as he charged blindly forward before frantically scratching upon it to be let out. He hesitated to open it, before catching himself and firmly deciding that this was the safest method to punish Riki. He stepped back and sat down at the table across from the room, suddenly startled as Riki's whimpering became louder along with the frantic scratches.

"Your Highness?" Daryl called from the doorway, momentarily looking towards the whimpering door. "Shall I bring your breakfast here?"

Iason nodded, sitting back further to resist the urge to let Riki off the hook so easily.

—

Riki slid down against the door, his sharp claws practically dulled to nubs and close to bleeding, as his sides heaved while he gasped for breath. He whimpered softly as he gave into exhaustion, as he was sure he had been locked away for hours now. The cold hard floor met his body as he sprawled out, his warm pants barely warming the stone ground.

Why do you fear the dark?

He could leave me here until I die, Riki answered internally. What if I don't get out of here? I'm trapped inside here and in total darkness.

I see, the voice noted, circling around Riki who was sitting curled up within the pitch black abyss. Will this help?

Riki glanced up, his eyes immediately being drawn to the glowing ball of light floating in front of him. He carefully grasped onto the wispy glowing orb, surprised to find it warm as it looked as if it were ice cold. What is this? He noticed that there seemed to be faces that were vaguely appearing within the ball, all of them seemed to be familiar.

These are the past spirits of every member of the Clan. They are all part of me, the guiding spirit. That is why I am the Nameless One, for I am not one, but many. Each Clan member brings forth their own helpful pieces that make me whole. They are all with you, so you need not be afraid.

Riki gently hugged the orb close to him, a sudden wave of several emotions taking over him as a tear escaped his eye. Thank you. I will try to make things right again. The orbs suddenly started to expand and Riki felt himself being engulfed within the tranquil and blissful warmth that surrounded him.

—

Iason opened the door slowly, noticing that the wolf cub's head flopped down as the object supporting it disappeared. A surge of panic shot through him as he gently picked up the tiny black ball of fur. His eyes glanced down at the clawed wooden door, shocked to find that it was almost burrowed all the way through. "Oh wolf cub..." he breathed softly, holding one of the black paws in his gloved hand to see that the nails were worn down significantly.

The Prince carried the pup over to the bed and laid him down onto the soft blankets. He crouched down, relieved to find the slow rise and fall of the tiny body, and ran his fingers through the soft pelt. He didn't know how to effectively care for the wolf cub, he could only tolerate so much disobedience and would not leave it go unpunished. But he did not wish to hurt the tiny form that contained Riki somehow.

"Forgive me..." he breathed softly, laying his head down next to the pup. A soft whimper from the cub had him lift his head up and he tenderly stroked the black fur. "I apologize for doing that. I did not wish to hurt you."

The wolf cub whimpered again, rolling feebly away from the Prince and trying to rise up.

"Riki it's best if you..." the Prince chided softly, scooping him up into his arms and sitting down on the edge of the bed before laying down.

The pup pushed away from Iason, it's fur bristling and he growled.

"Riki?" Suddenly the pup started to grow right before his eyes, morphing into a larger wolf and then changing shape. Iason's breath caught as the wolf started to lose his fur and soon the tanned skin replaced the pitch black pelt. "Riki-!"

Riki gripped onto the Prince's neck, moaning as his body shifted back into human form. When he was finally normal, he looked at Iason, his dark eyes piercing the blue ones as he tightened his grip further.

Iason wrapped his arms around the mongrel, pulling him close in a gentle embrace. "I... missed you," he whispered, breathing in the familiar scent as his hands roamed the dark skin.

Taken aback by the action, Riki left his grip go slack and let himself be embraced but did not return it. When Iason pulled him flush against his body, he jolted as his penis brushed against the Prince's body and bit into the pale skinned neck before him.

Iason winced, but let the mongrel bite him and then when he pulled back and saw his blood glistening on the sharp teeth and pale lips he leaned forward and kissed him. "I am relieved to have you back."

"Let go of me now," Riki softly requested, wiggling in the hold and jolting as his penis rubbed against the rough embroidery on Iason's attire.

The Prince hesitated, not wanting to give up his mongrel now that he had him back. "Don't leave. I just got you back," he pleaded, but loosened his hold.

"Clothes."

"Pardon?"

"I want some damn clothes," Riki growled, crawling off of the Prince. He felt himself growing hard and tried to cease it by squeezing his thighs together, and jumped as he was pulled back down onto Iason. "Hey! Let go dammit!"

"No," Iason rumbled, sliding his hand along the tanned hips before gliding it down to grasp onto the mongrel's erection. "I want you so badly."

Riki tensed up in the blonde's hold, moaning as his body had craved contact of others and had become even more sensitive. "Huu..." he moaned, grinding into Iason's cool large hand. "Ah..."

"Beautiful," Iason commented in a seductive whisper. "Not that your wolf form isn't going to be beautiful, but I prefer this one."

"Hnnngh...haa..." Riki moaned, the sound rumbling from his chest as he sat up and bucked his hips as Iason pumped his erection that was slick with pre cum. "Ah...mnn...ahh!"

Iason watched as Riki gripped onto him for support, shuddering as he reached the peak of his climax and then caught him as he drooped forward. "Have you calmed down now?"

"Shut...haa...up..." the mongrel huffed.

"I really am glad to have you back in this form," Iason stated again, wiping his hand off and then running his fingers through the black hair. "I was...worried. I wasn't sure what happened to you."

"You...locked me in the dark," Riki mumbled angrily, pushing away from the blonde.

"You chewed the only irreplaceable furniture in the Fort."

"You jumped to punishment," Riki hissed. "It wasn't even my fault!"

"I did not know," Iason countered. "How was I to know you weren't just finding ways to annoy me?"

"Bastard."

"I apologized, Riki, what more do you want from me?"

Riki sat up, angrily turning away from Iason and then sighed. "I only have a little bit of time before I switch back again."

"What?" Iason sat up quickly. "What do you mean?"

"Every time I reach a new age in my wolf form I transform back," Riki answered, sliding to the edge of the bed. " I didn't have full control before, but now I do." He glanced back at the Prince who was trying to get closer. "But it's still a new set up that I have to get used to, so you have to go easy on me, you asshole."

"How much time until you switch?" Iason inquired, coming over sit behind Riki.

"I was supposed to remain in that form for a longer period of time, but I managed to transform back sooner," Riki explained. "I probably have a few days before I'm stuck in an older wolf form for as long as it takes for me to gain full function of that body."

"Then you're mine right now." Iason rubbed his clothed erection into Riki's butt, trying to arouse the younger male. "I will be gentle this time."

"I don't want it!" Riki spat, trying to tug away from the hold around him.

"You say that, but your body," Iason whispered smoothly in the mongrel's ear, sliding his hand down to Riki's growing erection. "Says you're lying..."

—

"Ah," the man sighed happily. "If it isn't my lovely older sister."

Jupiter gracefully walked over to her brother in her bright purple dress withe jewels embedded that trailed behind her. "I have been expecting you for some time, I was getting worried." She carefully enfolded the sibling in a hug. "How are you fairing, Andrew?"

"Just fine, my dear," he smiled. "And how are my handsome nephews?"

She sighed, "As busy as ever. They are both out and about currently. I had hoped they would have returned for the last family member's arrival."

"It is not a problem," he assured.

"While the servants take your luggage to your room, would you care to come have a drink with me? I have not seen you in a long time, brother."

"Certainly." The well dressed man followed behind the Queen, his eyes gleaming with mischief and a smile slayed across his face. "I would be delighted.


	24. Truth & Taboo

Iason pinned Riki's arms above his head with one hand. "I can't be gentle if you refuse me," he chided with a chuckle, leaning over the boy and trailing his tongue along the tanned skin. His other gloved hand ran down the mongrel's trembling sides, annoyed by the barrier he pulled the glove off with his teeth and proceeded to touch the delectable beauty in front of him.

Riki tried to hold back his moans as he writhed beneath the man, but they escaped as the skilled tongue teased his sensitive nipples.

The Prince slid his knee between the two tanned legs, rubbing the sensitive area for further stimulation. The heat of the mongrel radiated through the clothing and fueled Iason's arousal; that warmth was all caused by him, his mongrel was aroused by his touches. He loved it.

"Huuu...!" Riki gasped, gripping onto the sheets that his hands could reach while being held. He ground his teeth, twisting around in the hold to prove he was not completely willing. Oh God, he felt so good from this man's touches. So fucking good!

The Prince slid his hand downward, finding the crease of the tanned ass and the bud. He slid his finger around, teasing the tight hole before pushing one inside. Slowly worming it inside he stroked the inner bud and added another finger.

"Nmmm!" Riki moaned, his hips writhing around from the pleasure he was fighting against. He jerked hard as the fingers pushed in deeper, rubbing harder against the special spot inside of him. "Ah...!" His back arched off the bed, his hips gluing themselves to the Prince's hand as his insides clenched down onto the fingers.

Iason pulled his fingers out, gazing down fondly at the panting mongrel in his control who whimpered in protest. He started to undo his tunic laces. "I will be gentler than I was the first time, I promise you, Riki." With an elegant movement he tossed the tunic to the side and then unlaced his breeches, allowing himself to spill free. His blue eyes observed the momentary flicker of fear in the obsidian eyes as he pressed himself to the twitching entrance. "I will go slowly."

Riki threw his head back, crying out as the pulsating organ slowly forged it's way inside him. His throat convulsed, only guttural moans escaping his quivering lips as he panted to breathe.

Iason paused, a rush of pleasure coursing through him as the tight, clenching cavern engulfed the tip of his erection. It were as if Riki were a virgin again, the sensation of the tightness feeling familiar and warning him to be gentle. "Easy, Riki," he whispered in a velvety smooth voice, stroking the tanned cheek. He wiped away the single tear that was about to drip from the dark eyes.

Riki moaned as he felt the pressure and pain inside him advance further. He gripped tightly onto the sheets, his knuckles turning white from the tightness on the fabric.

The Prince paused, allowing the mongrel to adjust to the thick length he had inside. Gently he pried the trembling fingers from the sheet, guiding the tanned arms around his neck for better support. "Just a little more," he breathed, finally pressing all of himself into the searing hot and tight insides.

Riki cried softly, convinced that his insides were torn apart regardless of the gentleness. He inhaled and exhaled unsteadily as he screwed his eyes shut, expecting to be excruciatingly ravished.

But it didn't happen, finally when he did open his eyes he saw two soft blue orbs peering down at him. Iason remained still inside of him, remaining true to his word of being gentle. He inhaled a shaky breath, trying to overcome the pain and regain himself.

Iason caressed the tanned face, wiping away the other tears. "I am going to move," he explained, easing out of the tight passage until only the tip remained in. Tenderly grasping onto the hips before him, he began to advance back inside, rubbing against the sensitive spot inside.

"Ah!" Riki gasped with a jolt, his fingers sliding into the blonde sun kissed locks. The silky texture of the strands causing his fingertips to tingle with pleasure.

Noticing the special reaction, Iason began to move inside, keeping the slow pace as he rubbed that specific spot. Pleasure coursed through him as Riki gasped and mewled in his hold, with each thrust becoming a hot mess.

"Hnnngh!" the mongrel moaned, his arms slipping out from around the marble neck and back to the bed. He felt so good, he was going insane. He wanted more, he needed more of this pure pleasure. But he was still a slave, and he hated that!

Iason repositioned his hold on Riki's hips, lifting him off the bed. "I will make it good for you," he promised, beginning to slide out now that the mongrel had relaxed substantially. He moved back in, pressing in with a shove at the end so his pelvis was flush with the tanned ass, before repeating the action.

"Ah...oh God...!" Riki gasped, throwing his head back as the Prince began to move inside him. He jolted as he felt Iason grasp onto erection and deftly stroke and tease him. "Uh...hah! No!"

"Beautiful," Iason whispered huskily. "Being inside of you is amazing."

"N..no...!" the mongrel protested, trying to wiggle out of the grasp. "Stop...don't want..." He didn't want this! He just a slave to this man! He was just being used!

"Oh but you do," the Prince denied. "You know you do, that is why you're acting this way." He bucked himself inside, smirking as Riki started to tense up as he was reaching his climax. "Not yet," he chided softly, grasping onto Riki's penis to prevent him from coming.

"H...hurts...!" Riki moaned, his trembling hand attempting to pry off the slender fingers.

"Not yet," Iason repeated firmly, thrusting inside with more speed. "I want you to thoroughly enjoy this time I have alone with you."

Riki threw his head back, the pleasure sending his body trembling uncontrollably. "Oh God... Ple...please...hah!"

"A bit longer," Iason insisted, continuing his skilled movements inside the sweat glistening mongrel.

"St...op!" Riki moaned loudly, a new found anger fueled him to fight back. He tried to kick the Prince while pulling away.

Iason stilled inside of him, staring down at him with questioning eyes. "What are you doing, Riki?" he inquired, reaching out to stroke the sweaty tanned face. "I said I would be gentle, so why do you refuse me?"

"I didn't ask for this!" Riki snapped. "I'm not your...your personal whore."

The Prince blinked. "Actually, you are whatever I say you are, but that's besides the point. Why are you bothered by this?"

"I'm not your sex slave."

Iason regarded Riki for a long hard moment. "Riki," he finally whispered with a sigh. "Why can you not accept your fate by my side? Is not having your freedom over safety, food and shelter really that horrid?"

Riki twisted his upper body away. "Let me go," he breathed.

Iason's teeth clenched, he could not figure out how to please his mongrel. He thought he was giving him everything a mongrel could want. "I will not." He grasped onto the tanned legs, continuing to thrust inside. After a few more pumps inside, Riki climaxed and he followed behind not long after, arching into the supple body as he released his seed within him.

Riki panted, pulling away from him as he demanded there be distance between him. Iason ignored the request and laid down next to him, pulling him into his arms.

"Explain, Riki." He ran his hand along the tanned chest. "You know that even if I set you free, the Hunters would still kill you. You are a mongrel, and as you know full well, the Hunters kill your kind for game. I am trying to protect you."

"I would've been fine..."

Iason shook his head, "Not anymore, Riki. The Hunters have become corrupt. They ignore the regulations." And I'm not King, therefore I cannot truly stop them, he added silently. He gave the boy a gentle squeeze. "Are you not happy with our deal? I am willing to let you run errands for me, as long as you come back. You aren't going to be a coward and run, are you?"

Riki sulked. "No." He really was fucked, there truly was no freedom outside the walls that the Prince had made.

"You will not suffer," Iason assured. "You can live comfortably. And you can spend your pay however you choose."

Riki nodded marginally, "Yeah." But he was still a slave, and the Prince was his Master. But he figured he should be grateful for what he did have.

"One day you'll accept it." Iason signed, kissing the tanned neck. "I'll have Jak prepare you some food. You must be craving human meals."

—

Katze splashed the cold water on his face, before wiping his face with his sleeve and pushing the hair plastered to his forehead to the side. It was eating at him, that damn comment from the cocky Prince!

Arrogant, pampered, rotten...!

"We are making fine progress, aren't we?" Raoul admired, strolling over from tethering his horse to a tree branch. "I'd say we'll have time to spare."

Katze bit back his hate. "Yes, sir. Most definitely."

Raoul's eyebrow raised at the snobby tone. "Is something wrong, Katze?"

Yes! he screamed internally. "Nothing at all, sir. Shall I prepare the shelter for the evening? It seems it might rain."

"Do not lie to me," Raoul warned, crossing his arms. "I demand you tell me what is bothering you."

Katze would rather have died than told the Prince he was furious with him. "I am simply tired, Your Highness." He turned and headed off towards the camp area to set up the makeshift tents he had created.

A bit amused by the sharp replies from the redhead, Raoul followed quietly behind, trying to press his lips together to hold back a grin. He observed in silence as the assistant set up the shelter for the evening, before pouring a glob of the potion from the bottle in his his pocket into his hand. In the blink of an eye, he advancing forward and snagged the redhead in his arms. He pressed his hand to the scar upon the face and held the man still.

"Your Highness, I ask you let me go and stop touching me!" Katze spat, giving his captured arms a tug. "This is unprofessional!"

Raoul leaned in, his lips next to the young man's ear. "Why are you so bitter towards me?" he whispered low.

Katze shivered from the seductive tone and warm breath. "Y...you insulted my Clan!" he answered back, struggling to regain his composure. For some reason, the Prince was stirring him up inside so easily, regardless of the barriers he had in place to prevent it. "Let go!"

"You have such a strong current of magic energy flowing through you right now," Raoul whispered, causing the redhead to freeze in the hold, as if he were turned into stone. "It is delectable." He rubbed himself against Katze, his one hand sliding down to cup the young man's bulge in the front of his breeches. "So alluring and lively. Your seduction magic is so strong, I was right to steal you from my brother. Having you by his side is such a waste."

"...You..."

Raoul smirked. "I may have never committed the act of fornication, but I've had plenty of maids and servants seduce me, Katze." He licked the young man's ear. "But you nearly had me on my knees. That takes a great amount of skill."

Katze shivered. "Your Highness...this is prohibited."

"If Iason can fuck his mongrel, I can fuck you Katze," Raoul growled, grinding himself into the crease of Katze's ass through the breeches. "You are mine. No one will rescue you in the wilderness tonight."

—

Riki nibbled on his food, melancholy replacing his earlier liveliness. He averted his eyes as the azure gaze pierced into him, observing his every move. His body was aching marginally, but seemed to be recovering with every minute that ticked by.

"If you are feeling up for the task tomorrow, there is still a Centrochelomoloch outside," Iason calmly suggested. "A good aimed arrow to his chest will kill him instantly and then we can go outside to train."

The thought was very appealing to Riki, as he was itching to hold onto that bow and arrow again. He glanced to the window to see that it was already late evening and the sun was almost set. "If you can give me it's location, I can kill it."

Iason nodded, "Then it's settled. Tomorrow you will kill that and then we can continue our training." He leaned back in his chair, grasping onto his chalice full of wine. "I was thinking we could try shooting targets while on horseback, if you're up for the challenge."

—

Katze glared up at the Prince, fury brimming in his eyes. "This whole time, I was just a tool."

"No, not at all," Raoul genuinely denied. "I was fascinated by you the moment I saw you. I just knew that I had to wait until the proper moment to steal you from my brother." He stroked the now scar less face. "Such beauty...I had to recover it and keep it for myself. Iason was using you for all the wrong reasons, neglecting to discover your true potential which you hid behind your cold complexion."

"How...how long have you known I was..."

"Since the day Iason hired you," Raoul explained, gliding his hand down the slit in the young man's shirt to caress his chest. "I could feel the magical aura around you which you tried so hard to conceal. I began researching and trying to figure out where you came from as there are almost no other sorcerers in today's world."

Katze paled, "You...knew this whole time?"

"Indeed," Raoul smiled. "But I did not want to risk losing you, so I kept quiet. And now you are mine." He dipped his head down, running his tongue down the redhead's chest and swirled it around one of the pointed nipples. "It has been a test of my patience, but it is proving to be paid off in full."

—

Riki pulled back the bow string until it was taut, his eyes pinned onto his target. He sent the arrow through the crisp morning air, straight into the creature's chest. On impact it shrieked loudly, falling onto the stone path and writhing around as crimson shot out from him. The blood splattered on everything, tainting all the elements clean by the previous day's rain.

Finally, the Centrochelomoloch stopped flopping around, the blood loss starting to effect it's ability to continue. It's stubby legs twitched for awhile, before it fell still. It's eyes clouded over and blood dripped from the creature's mouth as it laid on it's back.

"Well done," Iason praised, wrapping his arms around the mongrel. "I'm once again impressed."

Riki shrugged out of the hold, "Stop fucking clinging to me." You did all of last night, he growled silently. He glanced back at the Prince who had loosened hiss grip and stepped back. "Well, I killed it, so can we get going now?"

—

Katze bit back his moan, mentally chanting seals to silence him. Each time he mad one it seemed to shatter into a thousand pieces, and the arousal would hit him like a ice cold wave that would transform into a scorching heat.

"So stubborn," Raoul sighed, licking down the pale skin to the young man's groin area. "Each time you resist, my seal counteracts yours and soaks up all of the magic energy you used." He trailed his tongue along the trembling thigh, before stopping just on the edge of the redhead's erection. "You can't even fight against me, you're helpless in my snare."

"Stop!" the young man hissed, trying so hard to fight his way through the seal that had spread through his body and paralyzed him. Everything the Prince had said was true, he was absolutely defenseless to the seal; he was victim to his own bloodline's weakness. It felt amazing, like nothing he had ever felt before! What was this dark magic?

"I waited a very long time to confirm my research, Katze," the blonde rumbled, prodding at the young man's erection and observing it's every detail. "And so far I am very pleased with the results."

Katze's breath hitched as his head started to become foggy, the pleasure misting his logic. He moaned and looked up to see Raoul towering over him, his green eyes watching him intently. With shaky hands, he reached up to the Prince, soft moans escaping his convulsing lips. "Y...your High...n...ness..."

Raoul reached down and stroked the soft skinned face. "I will free you of the tension you have been fighting against, Katze." He leaned in and kissed the redhead, gliding his tongue inside and stroking the seal which caused the young man to moan loudly and eagerly mingle his tongue with the Prince's. Rules be damned, Raoul thought. You are mine, together we shall revive the magic in this world.

—

"I assume that there will be a grand ceremony for your sons now that they have reached the age?" Andrew inquired, sipping his drink thoughtfully.

"You assume correctly," Jupiter answered. "A ballroom dance and feast on their birthdays and then on the day of the crowning, there shall be more."

Andrew's eyebrow twitched. "And Iason shall become the King...what will happen to you?"

"I am going to remain in the Castle, to help guide them in their decisions." She sipped her tea softly. "I hope they will depend on each other. They seemed to have been in a rough patch before they both vanished."

The man bit back his hate, using all of his willpower to remain cheerful. "A shame that their father isn't here."

Jupiter flinched, nearly spilling her tea before catching herself. "Yes," she replied softly after a moment. "It is a shame."

"And the culprit still hasn't been found," Andrew sighed, watching with delight as the troubled look in his sister's eyes grew darker. "But I'm sure he was killed off after you exterminated all of the mongrels the first time. I believe that was when you used the wizards to create a plague to kill off mongrels specifically?"

"Silence!" Jupiter snapped. No one was to know about that day! The day she used wizards to avenge her husband's death and kill the mongrel who slaughtered her children before her husband gave his life for them. To cover up her crime, she made magic illegal and killed off the dozens of Clans who assisted her. Her hands were drenched in blood, all to save her reputation and provide a good life for her sons.

But when Iason became interested in a mongrel it seemed as if all of her hard work was in vain. Her only pure son was now Raoul, the child who had not become interested in a mongrel or magic. He was a highly skilled doctor, and his reputation would gain him much respect. Now if only Iason would rid himself of his mongrel the family name would be pure again.

"Every single day, I wish that you had caught the mongrel that had seen escape," Jupiter softly sighed. "If you hadn't told me of what you had seen, I would have never had a good enough reason to kill off the vile creatures from this world."

"I was only doing what any brother would do for his sister," Andrew gently responded. "Come now, let us stop this depressing talk. There are merry times ahead!" And when the time comes, your crown shall be on my head!

—

Thunk!

Riki galloped faster through the cleared forest area, aiming at the next target nailed to the tree. With effortless precision he sent the next arrow flying through the air and headed to the target.

Snap!

Riki blinked, watching as his arrow was snapped in half by another in coming arrow. He whipped his head back to glare at the Prince who was grinning at the furious mongrel. "You..."

"There is no guarantee that your arrow will successfully hit your target," Iason stated yet again, trotting up next to the dark haired boy. "You must always be prepared to shoot another arrow in case the first fails. You are getting too relaxed."

Understanding that the idea was a possibility, Riki nodded and bit back his retort. He stretched his tired limbs, noticing that the daylight around them was vanishing drastically. They must've been practicing for the entire afternoon—not that he minded. Shooting arrows with the Prince made him forget his horrid life, he felt oddly free while he had a job that he was skilled in.

"Shall we turn in for the day?" the Prince queried. "I believe that Daryl and Jak will have supper ready for us."

Riki nodded, realizing how hungry he was. "Yeah, I'm done for the day."

"Very well," Iason agreed. "Tomorrow we will continue, now that you are comfortable enough with shooting while riding. Next is to make sure that you can shoot your target while dodging other moving obstacles."

—

Iason wrapped his arms around his exhausted mongrel, planting a kiss on the tanned shoulder. "I am very proud of your accomplishment and efforts today." He rand his hand down the supple body. "I want to ensure your talents do not go to waste."

Riki growled, "If my talents are with bow and arrow, why the hell—hnn!" He jolted as Iason fondled him, giving a hard squeeze. "Why am I in your bed?"

"You are talented with bow and arrow, yes," the Prince agreed. "But you're body also has a talent for arousing me and you have sexual needs that need to be met. So why would waste such a talent and let me aid you?"

"That's...not...!" Riki moaned, trying to get out of the hold; he only succeeded in thrusting into the Prince's hand.

"I'm only relieving you," Iason assured. Within a few moments, he had Riki gasping and moaning before reaching his peak of pleasure. After insuring that the mongrel was completely worn out and had drifted off, he slid the gold ring around the boy's flaccid cock. "I am curious to see what your talents will blossom into with a bit more training." The Prince sighed as he pulled a second finger ring from the padded box, eyeing up the gold band with a rare blue crystal. "And I look forward to the day that this ring will bind us instead; what will we blossom into then?"


	25. Murderous Birthday

"Take it off!" Riki snarled, bursting into the room with vigor and charging forward towards the Prince who was sipping his morning tea. The heavy wooden doors slammed open behind him as he stomped into the room angrily.

Iason calmly returned the dark gaze of hate upon him, his teacup shuddering as Riki slammed his hands down upon the table. "You're being rather loud, wolf cub. It's very distasteful. I will punish you if you do not stop this instant."

Riki ground his teeth together. "Take the ring off!"

"Ring? I don't see any ring..." Iason smiled, knowing full well what Riki was talking about.

The mongrel nearly broke his teeth as he gnashed them hard together. He yanked his brown breeches down to show his flaccid penis adorned with the intricate designed cock ring. "Take this fucking thing off! It wasn't there last night and I sure as hell didn't put it on!"

"Ah," Iason sounded, snaking his arm around Riki and then capturing the boy's penis in his other hand. "I think it suits you beautifully."

"Ngh!" Riki felt a sharp pleasure project out of the ring and caused his penis to twitch. He grabbed onto the Prince's white long sleeved tunic, scrunching the thin fabric. "Ta...take it off!"

"Why?" the Prince asked, stroking and teasing the boy's reacting member. "You seem to be enjoying the new adjustments made to the ring."

Riki slipped in fingers in between the Prince's and tried to pull it off. He yelped at the sharp pain, nearly falling only to be caught by the blonde. "It hurts! Take it off!"

"No." Iason continued his slow attack on the reluctant boy. "This is part of training you."

"How...how the fuck will this..." Riki threw his head back, a stronger wave of pleasure hitting him. He tried to maintain his mask of displeasure. "Help me?"

"I said you have a talent with bow and arrow," Iason agreed, sliding his hand up the boy's stomach, under the thin light blue tunic he was wearing. "But you are also beautifully sensitive and seductive, but you almost lack control. And with this, I will show you pleasure beyond belief."

Riki felt the sensations from the ring grow stronger and couldn't fight against it. How was this possible? There was no way it could do this...! He bit his lip hard enough to draw blood to hold back his moans. "S...stop."

"You cannot deny that you are feeling good," Iason pointed out, stroking Riki's erection that was standing tall. "If you weren't, this wouldn't be reacting to passionately."

"Ughn..." Riki moaned, his hips bucking forward violently as another sharp pleasure pulsed into his lower half.

"No, no," Iason chided softly. "You must stay absolutely still." He gripped onto Riki's balls, rolling them around in his hand as if to compare the size of each. Riki's pre cum dripped down his burning erection, allowing the Prince's fingers to glide effortlessly around the slick skin.

Riki jolted as Iason's hand elevated, once again constricting his stiff erection that was oozing immensely. "Stop this..." he weakly protested, his body giving into the sensation of pleasure that he never knew existed. With Iason's touch alone he felt utter bliss, but whatever the ring was doing to his seemed to amplify it ten fold. He hated and craved more as his body was lusting for contact.

Ignoring him, Iason slide the arm that was wrapped around Riki's back downward into the breeches. He probed his fingers around, sliding them into the wet pre cum before he found the narrow opening in the muscle folds. He supported Riki as the mongrel jumped, trying to close his legs and forced his digits deeper into the trembling cavern. "Spread your legs."

Before Riki could stop himself, he found his body obeying the command. He shifted his legs further apart marginally, allowing the blonde a fraction of easier access. "H...huu..."

"More."

Riki shivered at the frosty tone that refused disobedience and found his legs open wider. He had no control whatsoever, he was lost in the sensations of the new ring and the Prince's touches. They blended together pain and pleasure into a concoction that can best be described as poisonous ambrosia. He found himself moving his hips, pushing the Prince's fingers into him as he lusted for more.

"Good boy," Iason praised, gliding his fingers inside the boy, strumming the inner sensitive area repeatedly. He observed as Riki trembled violently with each strum of his finger and timed the stroking of the dripping wet erection with it. Riki jolted each touch, nearly collapsing from the powerful sensations. Yes, it was the right decision to restart the training of his body if it could respond like this.

When Iason finally let Riki climax, the boy choked on his moans before screaming in pure bliss as his body convulsed hard. He tumbled down, and the Prince pulled the panting heap into his arms, disregarding the fact he was dirtying his clothing. Riki gasped for air, his sides heaving in breathlessness as his heart pounded in his chest.

"I'm very pleased with the results from this training session," Iason announced, pulling Riki further into his arms and kissing the sweat covered forehead. "As a reward we will practice with the bow and arrow however you wish."

—

Katze stared blankly up at the Prince, every ounce of energy drained from his very core. He still had no idea how the Prince had managed to get the upper hand on him, but he was mad inside. No matter how hard he tried, there was just no way to escape what the green eyed monster had done to him.

"I cannot believe this is what we were forbidden from partaking in," Raoul whispered, tracing his fingers along the redhead's lips. He rolled over, still inside the young man and pulled him close so they were flush together so he wouldn't slip out. In one simple movement he pulled the blankets up around them and then kissed Katze, removing the seal temporarily as the boy was too tired to get away.

About halfway through, Katze had put up a fuss, giving everything he had to try and break free from him. All he succeeded in was fueling the seal to deepen the pain and pleasure that it provided. It also gave Raoul more lustful energy which he use to thoroughly engrave himself into his newfound partner. He hadn't taken a liking to boys as much as girls, he had often watched females pleasure themselves to gain some relief, but Katze managed to draw him in. It was probably the sexual nature that the redhead's clan was known for.

Raoul had to laugh and wonder if the way he saw Katze was the way Iason was drawn to the dirty mongrel! What a hypocrite he seemed like at the moment! He had nagged on his brother and yet, he had just pounded into his assistant and staked claim on him as his partner. As a member of the royal family he could damn well do as he pleased, but he feared that Katze would be extremely upset with him and he might have to win him over and repair the damage.

He supposed he could use the excuse that Katze's sexual appeal had driven him to do it, which was a fraction true, but he could be a mature adult and state the obvious fact that he wanted Katze so that no one else could get him.

Raoul watched as the redhead finally went slack with exhaustion and drifted off and he found himself doing the same, content with having someone warm in his arms as he slept.

—

Riki fired the arrow through the air, the force sending it stabbing through the tree so far it pierced out the other side. He had used all of his anger at the Prince and put it to use in his training. Usually he would've had a drink or something to wash it down, but now he was envisioning each target as that blonde son of a bitch's face. He knew he couldn't kill him, therefore this was the closest he could get.

"You wouldn't possibly be imagining that tree as me, would you?" the Prince questioned, as if seeing through Riki's plan.

Before he knew what he was doing, Riki twisted around and shot an arrow straight at the Prince. He blinked in shock as the Prince somehow managed to catch it just before it hit him.

"Nice shot," Iason praised, putting the arrow into his holder.

Riki scowled, running off deeper into the forest and shooting his arrows into the smallest target. Thunk, thunk, thunk! He sent arrow after arrow into the targets, his anger giving him surprising accuracy as he finally managed to split the last one. He paused and examined his handiwork.

"Well done!" Iason exclaimed, riding his horse over and then stopping at an appropriate spot so th mongrel had some distance still. "You finally split one. Can you figure out how you did it and do it again?"

Riki shot a glare at the Prince, "I will if you leave me alone."

"I will leave if you do it once for me," Iason countered, standing his ground. "I want to see your accomplishment up close, Riki."

With a huff, Riki turned away and then closed his eyes to regain his focus. He readied his bow and then found his body taking over as he fired off an arrow and split it just as the Prince had when they started out. After he did it, he turned back to the Prince and scowled, even though inside he was pleased with himself. "There. I did it, now leave me alone."

"Well done," the Prince nodded. "As promised, I will go." He hopped back up on his horse.

Riki watched on in disbelief that the Prince willingly left him. He hadn't expected him to actual follow through with his promise. Part of him felt a bit abandoned, but he shook that off immediately and readied another arrow.

If the Prince was giving him space, he would train during that time. He had spent enough time locked away, now that he had a job he would do it.

By the time the sun was at its zenith, Riki had grown concerned as the Prince hadn't even bothered to check on him. Not that he wasn't grateful for the space, but it felt weird to not have him at least see if he hadn't run away. Or perhaps the damn prick was so sure of himself that he knew Riki wouldn't run?

Riki scowled at the idea and yanked his arrow from the target and put it back into his holder. His stomach growled as he started to make his way back to the Fort. When he appeared out of the vegetation, he was shocked to see that Iason's horse was laying down and resting as if he'd been there for a long time. Had Iason actually left him alone completely? Did he not care anymore?

Riki made his way to the Fort, sliding into the entrance area only to not be greeted by anyone. He stepped inside quietly, making his way to the dinning room. Opening the doors quietly, he peeked around the room and then saw Jak exiting the kitchen.

"Ah, Riki, would you like your lunch?" he asked softly.

Riki nodded, padding across the room and then sat down. He was expecting the Prince to walk in, but was surprised when only Jak returned with his meal. "Where...where is he?"

Jak paused, "Master Iason? He's in his study. He had Daryl fetch his documents from the main castle and is currently working on them." He grimaced. "There was a hefty stack of paperwork that he had delivered."

So he could've escaped...but then he'd be running and proving he was a coward to the Prince. And that wasn't his style. "I see," he disinterestedly answered, stabbing into his food. "Then I'd best not disturb him."

—

The time Riki decided to come back inside, the sun had almost set and it was cold and growing dark. He still couldn't believe that not once the Prince had come to check on him. He even skipped dinner to train just to see if that would coax him out.

He was mad. He could've escaped and run away to freedom, but each time he had the urge he felt his stomach get uneasy. He was sure that the moment he tried to run, the Prince would release his blood hounds and he'd be dead. He only had so many arrows and he couldn't switch back into wolf form yet.

Making his way back, he paused as he saw a figure at the door, but was disappointed as it was Jak. He walked up the path and to the steps, expecting some message of rebuking from the Prince to be relayed to him.

"Welcome back, Riki," Jak greeted. "You must be freezing! I'll warm your soup immediately."

Riki watched as the servant scurried away while he set his training gear in his designated spot in the entrance area.

The halls were empty, no sign of the golden haired man at all. Riki was starting to wonder what the hell the Prince was doing, or if he was still working. He made his way down the hallway silently, pausing at the office room door. Riki pressed his ear upon the wooden panel and listened. He could hear the movement of paper and the shifting of a body; was the Prince still doing paperwork?

Deciding to back off and not ruin his freedom, he slipped away and headed back to the kitchen to eat the food that Jak had told him of.

Riki stared up at the ceiling, his body still damp from the warm water he had just left. He had practically been free of the Prince the whole day and it bothered him something fierce. The Prince had rarely ignored him, and it frightened him somewhat because he didn't know what would happen if the man got tired of him. Would he throw him to the hunters, let him be target practice? Chop off his limbs and let him be a fuck toy?

He hadn't learned how to switch back to wolf form, so if he were to be thrown out now he'd have no chances of winning against the hunters or blade that chopped off his limbs. He'd fight of course, but if the odds were greatly against him he would be doomed.

Riki clicked his tongue and rolled over, blowing out the candle that lit the room and bunching up the blankets around him. Why should he care about his captor? If he wasn't around him...good! He deserved much needed alone time to wander and train. Riki scolded himself for even thinking such stupid things. A slave uneasy because a Master was not present, what a stupid thing to worry about!

—

Katze tore open his eyes, he was thirsty, sore and exhausted beyond anything he'd ever felt. He felt heavy, like he was a ball of lead; damn that Prince had drained the magic out of him!

Using whatever strength he had left, the redhead rolled himself over. Pain shot up his lower back, causing him to wince and groan softly in pain. He curled his fingers in the dirt, clawing deep into soft earth below him. He started to whisper recovery spells, relieved that they actually were working. He closed his eyes as the strength and magic flow began to pool back through his body and into the very marrow of his bones. Katze relaxed and left himself recover fully, stunned by how much magic energy he had been exhausted of.

After a few moments, Katze opened his eyes and sat up. Silently he began to pick up his clothing and slip back into them. He certainly couldn't go face the bastard in the nude, as he had no idea what the Prince's intentions were now. He certainly hasn't expected him to take him during their journey. And he certainly wasn't expecting to be so helpless after he had thought that he had finally built up a barrier of protection.

Crawling out from the shelter, Katze ambled over to a small pool of water. He splashed his face and was about to check himself down there when he stared at his reflection. The scar was gone. He tentatively reached up to touch it, surprised to not feel the rough line of the damaged skin, but smoothness. That scar had held nothing but horrid memories, the night that his clan was murdered and his father sacrificed himself so he could survive. He had managed to get away with a scar, but other than that he was alive and well.

"You're awake," a voice called from behind.

Katze turned slowly to stare at the Prince, hiding his fury beneath his usual blank mask. What use was it to give him the reaction he wanted? "How long was I out?"

"A day," Prince Raoul answered, sitting down on a rock a few metres away from the redhead. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm just fine, thank you," he answered sharply.

"Good," Raoul nodded. "I was beginning to wonder what I would do if you were not able to recover."

Katze gnashed his teeth together. "Why..." he started and then shook his head.

"Why did I take you?"

Katze whipped his head back, "You were forbidden from partaking in the act of fornication!"

"Yes," Raoul agreed. "However, I have waited long enough and I am certainly not marrying a slut who wants nothing more than my wealth and power. You wanted neither, therefore I think you will suffice."

"I beg your pardon?"

"When Iason becomes King and gets married I will be expected to have a partner as well," Raoul explained. "And I have decided that in order to protect your magic abilities, I will claim you as my partner."

—

Riki tsked loudly as his arrow missed the target. It had been a total of two days and he had barely seen Iason save for brief run ins with him. He was so confused as to what was going on, and he couldn't focus anymore.

Turning in for the day, he trudged to the Fort and threw down his training equipment. He marched through the halls and went straight to the bedroom and into the bath which Jak had just finished preparing.

He couldn't figure out what was wrong with him! Why was he unable to do good anymore? What was he so worried about? There was nothing wrong. But deep inside him he felt as if trouble was coming.

—

Iason leaned back in his wooden chair, utterly drained from waking up early to finally finish his work. He knew more would be waiting for him, but he was finished the first pile at least. He pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing deeply before rising up. He padded softly out of his room and down the hall, expecting to see Riki still sleeping. He opened the heavy wooden doors to find the bed empty, the sheets messed up and the bathroom door ajar.

Frowning slightly, he silently made his way to the bathroom and peek in the doorway. "Riki?" he called softly, pushing in.

Riki threw a towel over his head. "What do you want?" he snapped, the fear and anger obvious in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" Iason inquired, watching Riki shift to the wall as if he were hiding something.

"This is all your fault!" Riki snarled.

"What is?" Iason stepped closer, until Riki was trapped. He pulled the towel down and blinked in surprise as he saw two puffy ears peeking out of the midnight locks. "Ah..."

"I was warned if I got to stressed that they might show up," Riki hissed, batting away the Prince's hand that was about to touch his ears.

"Why are you stressed?" he questioned, wrapping his hand around the scruff of Riki's neck and massaging lightly.

"I don't know," Riki sighed, looking away from the blue gaze.

"Have I been neglecting you?" Iason whispered, pressing himself into Riki.

"No, get off me!"

"It's still early." The Prince continued to massage the boy's neck gently. "Let's go back to bed."

—

Katze rode his horse a few steps behind the Prince, mulling over what was said that morning. He had said that he wanted Katze as his partner, but what did that entitle? He already was the Prince's assistant and he had been fucked by him, what more could be want?

"We're almost there," Raoul noted, holding up his map and observing the sketch that matched the landmark. He then stopped, turning back to look at Katze. "Why are you so far away? Your place is up here beside me!"

Obeying the order, the redhead guided his horse to a closer proximity to the Prince. He switched into his blank expression, concealing his conflicting emotions inside of him. "How much further?"

"I'd say another day," Raoul estimated. "We've reached the Ajshan Crypts, and there is a short cut if one dares to cut through the burial ground."

"We'll be wracked with curses," Katze noted. "The spirit of Awazora is said to be rampant in the grounds." His eyes skimmed the untrimmed grass, dead flowers and dying vines that wrapped around two black posts all the way to the the tips that bore the Clan's symbol. Past the markings were several stone monuments that were said to hold the Clan member's bodies, they were scattered on either side of a path surrounded by weeping willows that were arched towards the earth. "They say she'll drag men into their deepest nightmares and prevent enemy from coming back."

"If you protect ourselves and state our purpose, I'm sure we'll be fine," Raoul countered. "Or would you tell me that our dear Awazora would not want magic to return to the world?"

Katze shrugged, "It's a risk. If you believe we'll be fine..."

Prince Raoul approached the markers with his horse. "Ajshan Clan members, we seek permission to pass through your territory to retrieve magic fragments that are at risk of destruction. If you do not wish us to pass through your lands please make it known by sending us a sign!"

Katze braced, expecting an evil spirit to come forth and attack them. But instead he nearly choked as he saw a figure walk through the grassy lands and weeping willows. "That's...that's..." The figure of a slim lady dressed in a long, flowing white dress floated out from behind the weeping willows, stopping in the center of the burial grounds.

Come forth, gentlemen. We have been expecting your arrival.

Raoul wasted no time, urging his horse past the markers and into the burial grounds. He glanced back at Katze who was trying hard to conceal his shock. "Our beloved Awazora knows we have pure intentions in retrieving the stones. If we did not, she would have done as you had said."

Katze nodded stiffly, watching as the partially transparent figure of the lady with long brown hair started to run through what seemed like an endless path surrounded by stone markers and weeping willows. He urged his horse forward, following after Raoul who was keeping distance between him and the apparition that led them through the maze of eerie territory.

—

Riki exhaled deeply, trying to relax now that the Prince was behind him, but he couldn't. He felt the itch deep inside of him, the need to have contact of another in his most sensitive spot causing him to be restless. He yelped as he felt a hand tug his tail, surprising him as he then realized he was stressed to the point of his tail making an appearance. "Let go! You're not helping me!" He twisted around and glared hard at the twinkling blue gaze that was observing his tail. "If you think this is funny, you're mistaken!"

"Are you sensitive?" Iason whispered, running his thumb along the puffed up tail's base. He massaged the area connected to the tanned skin, watching as Riki jolted and then writhed a bit. "Ah...you are."

"St...stop it!" Riki snarled, trying to tug his tail free, but only made Iason press the sensitive area harder. "Ugh..."

Iason pressed his lips together to contain a laugh as Riki's wolf ears twitched and pinned themselves back. "I've neglected your training for a few days. Perhaps that will help you."

"No...it...it won't!" Riki growled, trying to twist away from the grip, but Iason somehow managed to snake an arm around his waist and lock him into a vice grip.

"This will help you relax," Iason promised, kissing the tanned nape. "You'll feel good and your stress will lessen."

Riki jumped in the hold as the hand snaked down to his penis and somehow caused the ring to commence the pleasure as it did before. "Uhh..." Riki moaned, his hips bucking forward into the Prince's hand. His oozing member provided ample lubricant so the blonde's fingers could slide around, grazing underneath his foreskin and teasing his slit. He found his back arching into the Prince, which caused him to grind on something hard and hot; his body quivered with anticipation.

"I will be gentle again until you ask me for more," Iason whispered, freeing himself from his breeches and probing his pulsating member against the tight opening. He moved it around a bit, ensuring his pre cum had slicked the entrance before he pushed himself inside. He continued his pleasureful assault on Riki's nether regions in the front while his other hand continued to have fun with the new erogenous zone of Riki's tail base.

"Uurkkh...Mnnn!" Riki moaned, hating that he was being taken down with pleasure. He hated moaning in front of the Prince, he'd rather be screaming in pain than moaning in pleasure. But that didn't matter now, all that he could focus on was the acute pleasure that Iason was providing for him; a pleasure no one else could provide.

—

Reaching the edge of the grave lands, the spirit stopped and turned around to stare at her two guests. I bid you farewell and a safe journey. You are granted permission to seek shelter here tonight for protection before you commence your journey at dawn.

"Thank you kindly, Milady Awazora," Raoul nodded.

The spirit suddenly vanished, not leaving behind a trace of her existence.

Raoul hopped down from his horse and grabbed his pack that was attached to the saddle. "We'll accept their hospitality and make shelter here for the night." He set his pack down and began pulling out the necessary items, glancing up as Katze did not move. "Is something wrong?"

"We are in a graveyard," Katze reminded, scanning the clearing that was slowly becoming darker and creepier. He did not like this place, it reminded him of the day when his Clan was slaughtered, how he had to run through the forest and hide to escape the terrible fate that would meet him if the hunters caught him.

"Are you afraid?"

Katze's head snapped back to look at Raoul. "No, I'm just saying that this is not a very appropriate place to set up camp for the night."

"Katze," Raoul called softly, rising up to pat the redhead's knee from his position on the horse. "No harm will come to us. Now help me out here."

—

Riki laid there, his sides heaving as the Prince had finally let him climax after what seemed like an eternity. He felt the majority of his stress seep away, leaving him immensely relaxed in the Prince's hold. He felt his eyes growing heavy, wanting to return to sleeping after being up so early and panicking.

"Your ears and tail are gone," Iason whispered smoothly in the mongrel's ear. "You can relax now, Riki. I'm not leaving you."

Somewhat comforted by the words that eased the knot in his stomach, Riki mumbled a reply and then nodded off.

Iason chuckled softly, running his hands around the sweat coated skin. He was grateful that he had learned that excessive stress could make Riki take on limbs from his wolf form now as opposed to later. If he had brought Riki back and he had his ears pop out, everyone would be sentencing him to execution. He ran his fingers in the black hair, watching as the locks filtered between his fingers.

His mongrel was rare and confounding, always providing something new and interesting. From his passionate reactions to his other form, Riki was full of surprises that never ceased to amuse him.

—

Andrew peeked around the corner, ensuring no eyes were upon him. He subtly gestured for the servant to slip into the spot where no one could see him and it would look as if he were admiring a painting upon the elegant walls. "Is the poison prepared?" he whispered lowly, barely moving his lips.

"Yes," the servant answered.

"You know your job will ultimately lead to your demise, correct?"

"I live to serve you," the servant reminded, glancing up into his Master's eyes. "I am willing to lie my life down for you so that you may reach your goal, Prince Andrew."

Andrew nodded in approval, "Lace the Queen's food with the poison. That way I can use her falling ill as a trap."

"Understood, your Highness."

—

"Well done!" Iason congratulated, appraising the outcome of the shot. "Your strength in your shots has increased drastically, which will ensure you take down your enemy."

"Sometimes I fear that the arrow might go through the person," Riki pointed out, adjusting the holder on his back. "What if it went through and stabbed someone on my side?"

"That is highly unlikely." Iason paused, pondering for a moment. "But not impossible, therefore you'll just have to judge how much force to use for the specific target."

Riki nodded, slipping off his horse to grasp onto a fallen object only to tumble to his knees.

"Riki!" Iason hurried over, but stopped when the mongrel motioned for him to stay back. "Are you all right?" He thought about it for a moment, watching Riki start to pant. "Are you changing?"

A growl scraped along Riki's throat before it left his bared teeth, he hunched over as his body broke into spasms. "St...stay back!" His horse neighed in fear and cantered away to find a safe spot.

Iason watched as Riki began morphing in front of him, his clothing shredding itself as black fur invaded the body that began to gain the shape of a normal size wolf. Nothing big like they had been attacked with, but just the size of a normal wild wolf that was younger. He observed as Riki laid still for a moment after the transformation had completed, before two pitch black eyes peered at him. "You're not going to eat me, are you wolf cub?"

The wolf snorted, rising up and shaking the dirt from his black pelt. No, why would I do that? It would be pointless as well, since you can't die.

The Prince smiled as the wolf seemed to be giving him the same look Riki would if he asked him something that annoyed him. "Well, I haven't ruled out this idea, but I haven't talked it over with you."

Riki's ears twitched and he sat down. I'm listening.

"Would you like to train in your wolf form in case you ever need to use it?" Iason inquired, crouching before the black beast. "I had special training equipment brought from the main castle. That is if you want to give it a try."

Bring it on. Riki grinned, stepping forward and swishing his tail back and forth.

—

"There it is, Katze!" Raoul exclaimed, guiding his horse up the steep hill and then to the safety of the ledge. He looked back to the redhead to was following hot on his tail. "Stop with the expressionless face! This is a historical moment! Be proud!"

Katze couldn't hold back the small smile that twitched on his lips. He brought his horse to a halt, advancing after the blonde who was hurrying to a vine and moss covered wall of stone. "Its here?"

"Grab a blade," Raoul instructed, already starting to slice through the thick coverage. "It's buried in the mountainside."

A bit confused, but nevertheless eager, the redhead obeyed and started hacking through the thick layers of vegetation that had piled upon the stones and created a barrier of protection. He had realized on the way here as to why no one had found the stones yet, and that was because if one went around the Ajshan Crypts, they would end up at a very risky path that was barely as wide as a horse and had a drop off on each end. And that specific spot also had a mysterious wind that would commence at any moment, ultimately blowing the person off the ledge and to their death's. So it was thanks to the Ajshan Clan's spirits that no one dared to find the true stones hiding places.

Nearly breathless, the both of them continued to hack away until they hit solid stone. Using that as their perimeters, they finally cleared the opening and stared in disbelief at the two stones that were sitting side by side and illuminating as they once again met the light of day. The Zeolbite Stone sat within it's resting place, it's unique blue and green color illuminating brightly and projecting various hues of the rare pigmentation across the dull gray mountainside with it's marquise cut. The Katzerahedrite Stone sat next to it's partner stone, it's own unique shade of a mixture of fiery orange and crimson red projecting it's own light with it's pear cut. Their colors mingled and blended together while they flickered along the grey background, the magic within them swirling around like mist and reflecting off the unique cuts beneath the outer layer.

"This is it, Katze," Raoul whispered. "Go ahead, we have to take them out at the same time."

Katze nodded, reaching out and grasping onto the stone that was about as large as his hand and about the width of his hands cupped together. He glanced over at Raoul who readied his hands as well.

"One, two...three!"

They both pulled the stones free, mesmerized as the gems shone brighter and the mist started to rise from the hard casing before it slithered up their arms and disappeared into their bodies. Their veins illuminated in the colors appropriate to the stone, and each was overwhelmed with magic energy that seemed to now course through the entirety of their bodies while spells and important Clan information, tips, and secrets seemed to overwhelm their brain as it suddenly became known.

Finally both of them collapsed to the ground to their knees while holding onto their designated rocks as the energy left their bodies before reappearing with a renewed spark. Katze felt nothing short of happiness as his mind was filled with his Clan once again, the spirits of his tortured ancestors and family filling him with peace. He looked over to Raoul who inhaled deeply and glanced over at him. He reached out to him, "Let us bring peace for the Clans that have fallen victim to the Great Slaughter, and revitalize the world of the magic that once flew through the lands so freely."

—

Riki sliced through the makeshift human, shredding him with his claws before ripping apart his body with his sharp teeth and then moving onto the next one. Iason watched in silence, amazed by the speed and precision of the wolf cub. Yesterday when they had first started, Riki had to adjust to the new body and could barely take down a target, but now he effortless executed the attacks.

"Magnificent," he breathed, watching as Riki took down a large target by leaping gracefully through the air and yanking it to the ground before unleashing his sharp teeth and claws upon it. At this rate, Riki would probably be transforming back into his human form and then they would return to the castle as Mother was getting anxious about him returning for him being crowned King.

Iason paused, realizing what that actually meant. In a few days he was going to turn twenty four, which was when his Mother had agreed to step down and let him succeed the throne. He supposed she was tired of ruling, especially with the absence of her partner for support. Iason glanced up and watched Riki again, briefly wondering how he would react to him asking him to be his partner and support as he ruled. Riki was tough, and his background could provide an angle that would help the people rather than try and suck the lower classes dry. Not that the lower class really existed anymore.

Riki huffed, rising from his fallen position and shaking the dust off. He trotted over to Iason and growled.

"Are you finished for the day?" Iason questioned, then realized Riki had destroyed every piece of equipment. "Well then, lets call it a day."

—

Raoul and Katze entered the Castle lands, the few days journey had seemed to go quicker on the way back then going to the location for some reason. Raoul scanned the horizon to see Iason riding his horse with his mongrel behind him. They somehow had timed their arrivals to be exactly the same time.

Iason glanced over at Raoul and gave a small nod of acknowledgement. "Nice to have you back in time for the event. You made it back with one day to spare."

"Yes, Mother will have my head I know," he sighed, hopping off his horse. "I'm sure my paperwork is stacked to the ceiling."

Iason patted his back, "I took over a bit of it for you."

Raoul blinked, "Thank you. You didn't have to."

"We'll both have enough trouble with Mother, you don't need to be buried in paperwork as well."

Riki hopped down from the horse, following behind Iason who entered the Castle. He gave a nod to Katze who was following behind Raoul in a similar manner, knowing he was probably in the same boat as him.

"Ah!" Andrew exclaimed, hurrying across the floor wearing a long sleeved, silky jacket that covered him to his waist and was buttoned up at the top left side. The wide sleeves of his jacket reached down to well below his wrists and everything was decorated with gold trimming to compliment the bright red color, and he wore simple brown breeches to allow the red to be more vibrant. "At last my nephews have arrived!"

"Hello, Prince Andrew," Iason greeted, allowing himself to be embraced by the shorter man with slicked back brown hair.

"Do not be so formal with me!" Andrew scolded, moving to Raoul and embracing him as well. "It has been so long! You two have aged and grown beautifully!" He noticed the persons behind each of his nephews. "And who are these fine people?"

Iason pulled Riki closer, surprised that Raoul did the same for Katze. "This is my servant, Riki," Iason answered, more than a bit pleased that Riki bowed his head to the older Prince.

"And this is my servant, Katze," Raoul introduced.

Andrew stared each of them up and down and then nodded in approval, "Fine young men." He then looked to both the Princes, "You'd best find your Mother, she has been running around like a mad man trying to prepare everything."

Iason nodded, "Go back to the room, Riki."

"Yes, return to the medicinal room and wait for my return, Katze."

Riki watched Iason hurry away as fast as he could gracefully walk with Raoul right behind him. His dark eyes then bore into Prince Andrew, the knot forming in his stomach again as the man returned his cold gaze. He didn't trust this man, not one bit. Something about him screamed danger to his very instincts. Riki gave him a silent nod and headed to the bedroom. He could feel the man's eyes burning into his back with each step, it sent shivers down his spine.

—

Iason returned to the room late, the sun had gone down and he had been deprived of Riki all day as he was ushered from practicing to choosing items to everything in between. He was grateful his Mother was too focused on the event itself and hadn't brought up marriage again. He was thankful he didn't have to marry to get the crown, as that would ruin everything he had with Riki. He wanted Riki to be his one and only partner in anything.

Entering the bedroom, he found Riki sitting at the small table, munching away on a loaf of bread. "I'm back," he whispered tiredly.

"Welfum baa," Riki greeted with a full mouth.

Iason smiled and strode up to him and enveloped him in his arms. "I didn't get to spend much of my day with you as I had wished to."

Riki shrugged, "You were busy with...whatever..." He looked up to Iason. "What's happening tomorrow?"

Again Iason smiled, watching Riki take another bite of the bread. "Tomorrow I am being crowned the King."

Riki coughed loudly, nearly choking on the food in his mouth. "What the fuck? And you didn't tell me sooner? Shit! You should've been back sooner, the Queen's gonna have my head..."

The Prince kissed the tanned forehead. "Tomorrow when I am King, she will no longer be able to harm you."

"Great," Riki sarcastically retorted.

Iason yanked Riki upwards, "I think we should take a bath and train a bit, as my schedule will be hectic tomorrow onward."

"What?" Riki protested, suddenly finding himself in the Prince's arms and being carried. "Wait! Put me down, dammit!"

—

Iason and Raoul walked into the room together, Riki and Katze tailing behind them and then sitting in their designated spots. Soon the room began to fill up with all the Princesses and Princes of all shapes and sizes. Riki didn't even bother to glance around the table as he failed to care about this whole event.

Finally once everyone was present, Jupiter rose, standing at the head of the table. "Today is a very special day as you all know!" She smiled brightly. "Today is the day my son will take on the thrown and lead us into the future of prosperity!" Murmurs of approval and small talk radiated around the table, until Jupiter silenced them. "I hope that you two will will depend on one another, and help our Kingdom remain strong!"

Raoul and Iason exchanged a glance, knowing full well that each of them had their own agendas in life and the possibility of collaborating would only be possible if they coordinated their desires.

"I propose a toast, to the future leaders of the Royal Family. Iason and Raoul, I hope you will have the gods bless you with fortune and success!"

Riki watched as everyone at the table started to clink their cups, toasting merrily to one another. A scent hit his nose, one that he didn't enjoy, but it was at the far end of the table and not near Iason so he didn't care.

"Now let us—" Jupiter started, only to collapse to the floor. She began to cough up blood that stained the already red carpet a deeper color.

Immediately Raoul and Iason were up as the guests at the table started to frantically worry about the health of their Queen. "Mother, are you all right?" Raoul inquired, supporting her with the help of Iason.

"She probably worked herself to sickness!" Prince Andrew fretted. "I'll take her to her room!"

Iason started to help Jupiter out, allowing Prince Andrew to assist him while the rest of the people panicked and wished to help, but servants advised them to give them space.

Riki felt sheer panic stab into his stomach at the thought of him being alone with that man, he hopped up as Katze followed behind Raoul who hurried to go find a remedy for his Mother. Riki followed behind, peeking into the room from the crack in the door, he tried to enter but realized that in their frantic effort to get into the room something fell and was blocking the door. He watched as Iason hurried away to get a wash cloth and some water as his Mother was gasping for breath. The moment he disappeared, the man pulled a vile from his pocket and forced it into Jupiter's mouth, coercing her to drink which caused her to cough and gasp more.

"Your time is up," he hissed lowly to her, throwing the vile away. "Iason! She's choking!"

Iason rushed over, pressing the chalice to his Mother's lips. "Drink, Mother, drink!"

Riki watched in horror as the man backed away, pulling a blade from the hiding spot within his baggy attire. He raised it above his head, angling it so he could stab Iason straight in the neck before decapitating him. Iason failed to notice as he tried to help the Queen who was gasping and wheezing as she panicked. Riki felt the rush of anger fill him from his head to his toes and before he knew what he was doing, he went crashing through the door. The wood snapped effortlessly underneath his weight and force. He leaped onto Prince Andrew, the knife stabbing into his thick furry shoulder. He snarled and snapped his teeth at the man, biting into the tender shoulder and chest of the smaller being with his dagger sharp teeth.

"Riki!" Iason protested, not realizing what had happened. He was too stunned to see the massive beast that was bigger than the wolves that attacked them the one evening eating Prince Andrew while he was trying to save Jupiter. "Riki, stop this instant!"

Riki snarled viciously, ignoring the pain and started mauling the man that attempted to kill Iason. How dare you think to kill him! He started to lose control of his body and ignored the Prince's orders, giving into his savage instinct to kill the threat as he continued ripping the man before him into bloody pieces as the scene of him raising his blade against Iason replayed in his mind.


	26. Sheilded With Love

Riki dug his claws deep into the struggling man, tearing effortlessly through the flesh while crushing the traitor. He sank his teeth into the man's neck, his flesh ripping from the bone with an audible tear that surpassed his screaming.

"Riki!" Iason thundered, finally abandoning his Mother who was mildly gasping now. He rammed into the black pelt, trying to make Riki budge with little success. He slid his hand, forward, nearing the front of the mongrel to hit something cold and unnatural sticking out of the beast. Iason pulled his hand back as Riki yelped and jumped away, his hackles raised and his teeth bared. That's when the Prince finally saw the very edge of the blade glinting as it stuck out from within his mongrel. His blue eyes drifted to the mangled corpse, anger and hurt clouding them.

Riki whimpered loudly, trying to position himself in such a fashion in which he could rip out the blade that was stabbing into him.

"Easy, Riki," the Prince soothed, slipping into front of the beast. He grasped onto the large wolf face, stroking the fur beneath the big dark eyes that were staring at him. Gently he grasped onto the blade, securing his hold to ensure in one swift tug it would be out before he pulled it free. "It's out, Riki, it's out."

The wolf backed up abruptly, falling down as the limb failed beneath him. He growled and whined, his long pink tongue lapping away at the wound. He shot a warning glare and growled at Iason to leave him alone as the blonde stepped towards him.

Iason backed off, holding the bloodied blade in his hands and then looked to Prince Andrew—or at least what was left of him. He ground his teeth together, before stabbing the short sword straight into the ground next to man. "You got what you deserved."

"I...Iason..." Jupiter feebly rasped, lifting a hand to her son.

Immediately, he was by her side, his large hand enveloping her small slender one. "It's all right, Mother. Raoul will give you an antidote and you will recover." From what he knew of poisons, the one she ingested could be diluted and therefore she could recover from it's damage. "He'll be here any moment and you'll be all right."

—

Raoul scrambled around the room, blending the medicinal liquids with the proper accompanying fluids. Katze took the blends, mixing them around before sealing them off.

"Do we have them all?" Prince Raoul demanded, his veins coursing with fear and adrenaline.

"Yes, Sir."

Raoul grabbed the holding container and hurried towards the exit. Katze followed behind, carrying the other medical supplies.

The servants were trying their best to part the worried crowd of guests and relatives, allowing Raoul and Katze to hurry through. Their voices were raised and panic filled at the thought of their Queen dying, and there was yelling and loud bangs from her room which had them even more worried. But the servants prevented them from entering the area.

"Move!" Raoul demanded to the servant who was refusing to budge.

"I cannot let you," the boy answered, trying to push him back and then reached for something on his belt. "You shall not succeed!"

"How dare—" He was suddenly bumped to the side, Katze protecting him from the on coming blade that was just about to stab him. He blinked in confusion as he watched the redhead fall down, then realized. "Katze!"

Katze murmured something and the boy before him fell to the floor, screaming in agony as his body burst into spasms. "Get going!" Katze hissed. "The Queen will die at this rate!" He pressed his hand to his stomach after he removed the blade. "Go, dammit! I'll heal!"

Raoul gritted his teeth, scooping up the redhead and throwing him over his shoulder while hurrying away as a few female relatives started to scream and run away from the bloody mess. He burst into the room, freezing in shock as he saw the beast sitting the corner and realized the door was completely missing.

"Raoul!" Iason growled. "She's barely breathing!"

Katze pushed away from the green eyed Prince, falling down within a few inches of Riki. He flinched as Riki growled and was about to move away, but a large tongue met his body and started to lick his wound. The redhead winced at the impact to the wound, the saliva causing a burning sensation that almost had him in tears from the pain. He gripped onto the black fur, nearly screaming in agony, but then gasped as his pain felt numbed. He gasped for every breath, glancing down to see his wound healing up and was too stunned for words.

Prince Raoul forced Jupiter to ingest the next liquid, watching as her body began to regain its natural hue. "I think it's working." He readied the next one, pressing the vile to the shallow breathing lady. "You must drink it, Mother or you'll die."

Jupiter blinked slowly, looking at another spot that was not her son's. "...Leo...nard?"

Both Prince's eyes widened in fear and they worked together to coerce her into drinking the next of the remedies.

Riki grunted, standing up now that his wound had healed. He shook himself, his fur fluffing out before be padded to the smashed opening, and peeked his head out. A maid screamed at the top of her lungs as she saw him so he ducked back inside the room as she ran away screaming. He flipped his gaze over to the Princes, then to Katze who was wobbling to his feet. He huffed at the redhead.

Katze managed just to take a step forward as more shrilling screams echoed off the walls, and loud thudding and beastly cries sounded from somewhere within the castle. "We are under attack," he growled, gripping onto Riki for support. He glanced out the windows and saw Centrochelomolochs flying through the air. "Fuck..."

Riki growled, watching the flock of the beasts get closer. His head snapped in the other direction as he heard glass shattering and more screaming. He looked back at Iason and snarled for instructions.

"Go," Raoul hissed. "I'll deal with her. You take your beast and fend off what you can. When she's stable I'll join you!"

Iason nodded, hurrying over to Riki. "I have to get to my room, can you get me there Riki?"

Riki growled, nipping onto the Prince's arm and guiding it onto his back. Iason nodded, hopping up onto the wide back of the wolf and grasping onto the fur. "Let's go!"

—

Prince Andrew stared down at the two precious babies laying in their little nest of cloths. "Ah...such adorable little things you are..." he sighed. He reached out and stroked his forefinger along Iason's cheek, watching as the baby flinched in his sleep before opening his blue eyes. "You look just like your father."

"Mnnn..." Iason cooed, shrinking away from him.

Raoul opened his eyes, sensing his brother's distress and grasped onto Iason's hand before looking up to Prince Andrew.

"Ah...what a pair you two are..." He lowered his hands down around Iason's neck. "It's a shame that you must die..." He clamped his hands around the tiny neck, watching as Iason's tiny mouth started gasping for air before a distinct snapping sound reverberated through the air. "Ah..." he sounded, watching as Iason's mouth opened and closed frantically, before blood trickled out and he went very still.

Raoul started to whimper, but Prince Andrew wrapped his hands around his neck as well. He stared up at the evil man, tears in his eyes as he was unable to understand what was happening.

"Oh you poor thing," Andrew soothed, cracking Raoul's neck and then letting go to watch the baby suffocate just as the other had. "I'll end your suffering..."

—

Riki raced through the halls, dodging the pieces of destroyed walls and furniture that were scattered everywhere. He ducked just as an unnaturally big Centrochelomoloch flew in through the window, shattering the glass. He snarled angrily, leaping over another pile of rubble and making a sharp turn down another hallway, slamming into the wall from the speed.

"Oof!" Iason sounded, his body hitting the wall along with Riki. "Come on, Riki! Almost there!"

Riki skidded to a halt, fear taking over as he stared at the massive Xeatrilla beast that screeched and charged towards him. The creature was bigger than him, it's rumpled body covered with fine points that stabbed into it's victims. It had almost human like limbs to crawl on; long arms with large hands and claws, long and bulky back legs to stand on. Then there was it's incredibly long and armed tail that contained spikes that were oozing venom which was a constant threat. Riki stared into the creature's big eyes, snarling viciously and puffing out his fur to make himself appear bigger.

"How in the world..." Iason murmured. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that an Xeatrilla still existed, as they were rumored to be extinct. The worst part was, there was very little known about them and therefore they had no known weakness. "Riki..."

Riki growled, charging towards the beast and swiping at it's throat. The Xeatrilla dodged the attack, standing up on it's back legs and grasping onto Riki and trying to snap his neck. Iason jumped off just before he was hit, falling to the floor and scrambling back. Riki dug his teeth into the creature's neck, chomping down on the tender flesh beneath the painful points that stabbed into his mouth. The Xeatrilla adjusted his hold on Riki, trying again to bring him into a deathly grip, but Riki pushed his paws against the creature, clawing his soft fleshed stomach.

The mongrel hit the ground as the Xeatrilla roared in pain and hunched slightly. Seeing his chance, Riki jumped forward, tackling the beast and relentlessly mauling it's stomach area. Bits of flesh and organs flew through the air, splattering onto the floor along with the creature's blood as the wolf continued to shred through the uneven layers of skin. Riki yelped as the creature grasped it's large hands around his throat, attempting to choke him. He desperately tried to shake off the hold and pushed himself back, but he had underestimated how much strength he had lost and couldn't escape.

Thud!

Riki suddenly pulled back his body, choking and hacking as the air returned to his lungs. He stared in confusion as the Xeatrilla started to spasm and shriek, trying to pull the arrow that was buried deep into it's neck and causing blood to splurt out. He looked back and saw Iason, now holding a familiar bow and arrow and dressed in a mesh tunic that would prevent swords from puncturing him.

"Are you all right?" he asked, coming closer and giving Riki's neck a gentle touch.

I'm fine. Riki could already feel his body working swiftly to repair the damage.

Iason blinked, wrapping his arms around Riki's body and gently stroking the fur. "I heard you just now..."

What? Riki pulled back, whimpering in confusion.

A scream echoed around them as more loud thudding shook the walls. "We have to go," Iason urged, grasping onto Riki's back and climbing on. "We need to kill off the beasts within the castle and assemble what ever is left of the military squad and attack the next wave that is coming!"

How do you know more are coming? Riki snarled, hurrying down the corridors.

"This is war, Riki," Iason answered, readying his weapons. "There will be more until the grounds are flooded with blood."

—

Katze watched as Raoul pressed his hands to the Queen's chest, murmuring cleansing spells. "Is...Is Her Majesty going to be all right?"

"She is rejecting the healing spells," Raoul growled angrily.

The redhead placed his hands over the Prince's. "Let me help."

Raoul blinked and then nodded before he continued, his chants were echoed by Katze and gained more healing power. He felt his Mother's heartbeat began to pick up a normal rhythm after a moment, then he leaned down and listened to her breathing. "She's as stable as she'll get. Help me get her to the underground chamber."

Katze nodded, helping Raoul carefully grab hold of the unconscious Queen and then following after him. "Where is it?" He watched Raoul move towards a bookshelf. "My God this home is rigged with passages." He pushed the bookshelf and rolled his eyes at the all too familiar secret entrance. "How many of these exist?"

"That does not matter. All that matters is that they are available for times such as this specifically," Raoul brushed off, heading down a carpeted staircase into a room that only had one slit of a window which lit the area. He laid Jupiter down on a plush bed, ensuring she was comfortable for when she awoke before turning away. "We must join with Iason now, before everyone in this house dies. I do not know who is all behind this, but if it was solely Prince Andrew, then I cannot fathom what his hope for the end result was."

—

Riki sliced through the Centrochelomoloch, then looked back at Iason who had just killed off another odd creature that he had no idea what was. Are you good?

"I am, thank you," Iason answered, grimacing as he saw a mangled body of one of his men from the security squad. "Seems my men acted without orders to protect the castle inhabitants." He gazed down the hallway to find more bodies scattered, his heart clenched when he saw blonde hair. "We have to keep moving."

Riki slipped past him, nudging one of the security men with his nose. Dead. He followed onto the next one. Dead. He then approached the blonde haired body which was bloodied, but still in one piece and sniffed. Barely alive.

Iason hurried over, pulling the body of Prince Aisha from the rubble. "Aisha, can you hear me?" There was a soft moan, and Iason grasped carefully onto his cousin and climbed onto Riki. "Keep moving."

Carefully maneuvering his way through the mess, he padded silently and swiftly down the corridors that were now free of the beasts. He was about to turn the corner, when he sensed life behind a door. He pressed his nose to the ground, smelling the crack under the door. People are in here.

Iason nodded, laying Aisha down before he hopped off. He knocked on the door, listening as there were scared soft voices on the other side. "Open the door, we are here to take you to safety." After a moment, the door opened and relief flooded over Iason as the majority of his relatives were squished in the barricaded room. "Come, we have to move quickly before the next fleet of enemies arrive."

"Iason!" Raoul called out, then noticed the relatives slowly coming out of the hidden room. "Bring them to the underground chamber in Mother's room. It can hold everyone."

The Prince nodded, but then his head snapped back to the group as Aunt Maia screamed. "What is it?"

"That...that beast!" she exclaimed. "Why haven't you killed it? It's going to kill us!"

"No, Aunt Maia, this is my trusted partner," he denied. "He has saved my life as well as Jupiter's."

Riki backed away from the others, nudging Iason's shoulder to signal him that they had to get moving again. I sense something on the horizon, we have to move.

Iason nodded, "Come everyone, quickly!"

—

Riki paced outside the room, until he grunted in aggravation and headed to an opening in the wall from where a beast had flown through. There was the scent of man and horse, lots and lots of it.

And then mixed in with it was the scent of an unknown beasts. And he didn't like that. It was moving fast, whatever it was; almost as if it were flying. It was hard to pinpoint it's exact location, as the scent was both in front of the men in a smaller quantity and then behind the men in a horrifically large quantity. Riki hoped his nose was messing up.

"Is it here?" Iason inquired. "What you were sensing?"

It's moving fast. Riki answered. There is a beast like scent in a small group, then the scent of man followed by the beasts again.

Iason ground his teeth. "So he deployed his Midas army." Now Iason wished that Riki had done more damage to Prince Andrew before he died, he wanted him shredded to a minced meat.

How many of your fleet are alive?

The Prince shook his head. "Not enough to take down an army and beasts."

Between you and me, we could probably take out the army. But I am very... Riki paused, catching another whiff of the strong scent. Scared and unsure of how large these beasts are.

"Iason?" Raoul called, hurrying down the hall with Katze on his tail. "What do you know?"

"The Midas army is on the way, along with several large beasts," Iason explained. "We are severally out numbered. But we stand a chance."

Katze leaned over and whispered something to Raoul.

"Do you guys have any power to add?"

Raoul looked at Katze hard for a moment. "Are you certain?"

Katze nodded. "I have confronted them upon our return about the possibility, and they are eager."

Iason looked from the blonde to the redhead. "What is your addition?"

Raoul smiled softly. "Seems we are going to receive some help from the dead."

—

Riki stood next to Iason. It's coming, whatever it is. Are you sure you shouldn't get me see what it is before you help fight it?

"Concerned about me, wolf cub?" Iason grinned, stroking the black pelt.

No, it's just if you die here I don't get paid. Riki denied, but then looked up to the distant sky and was filled with horror. Holy fuck...they're huge...

Iason stiffened. "There is no way..." He blinked in shock as two winged beasts flew through the sky, their eyes ruby red, their bodies the color of coal and their skin jagged with it's dagger like skin that could slice through virtually anything. "It can't be..."

What the fuck are those? Riki snarled, tensing up as he sensed Iason's panic.

"Zecsora dragons." He looked to Riki. "They are dormant until a blood sacrifice is provided and then they obey their new Master's commands with the promise of receiving more blood."

So how do we stop them? Riki growled, watching as the beasts flew closer, swooping down to the castle. Each one of the dragons bodies was about twice him size, but their wings stretched and doubled that, but he figured he could still take them.

"These ones are smaller than the tales, but they say the eyes and the neck area are weakest, " Iason answered, readying his arrows. The dragons dove down closer, laying their eyes upon the Prince and Riki and released a screech of excitement that shook the ground around them. Iason released an arrow, sending it straight to one of the dragon's eyes as it swooped in for the kill.

The dragon shriek, falling down to the ground and sending a tremor through the earth that sent Iason stumbling. Riki charged forward as the second dragon came straight towards them, breaking down the castle barrier and sending the stone wall flying around them. Riki ran forward, dodging the rubble and prepared to leaped upwards, going straight for the beast's neck.

Iason noticed the dragon's eyes flashed blue and suddenly was filled with terror as he knew what that specific shade signified. This wasn't a normal Zecsora dragon...this was a mixed breed! "Riki, wait!" he screamed.

Riki leaped up, and the dragon open it's mouth, sending a massive wave of venomous fire straight at him. He yelped in pain as he was engulfed in the scorching hot flames that not only burned him, but poisoned his flesh and then felt the weight of the dragon's body crash down upon him before he felt it's piercing teeth stab into his body.

"Riki!" Iason screamed in terror, running towards him and aiming his arrows for the beast's eyes. He successfully shot one eye, lodging it into the creature's skull and brain as the other one had. The dragon let Riki go, before flailing around in agony. Iason fell down beside Riki, panic filling him from head to toe because there was no cure for the venom that would eat away at the mongrel's movement abilities. The venom was so powerful it could even bring harm upon himself even with his immortal capabilities. "Riki!"

The dragon stumbled, falling down and sending another wave of flames straight towards the two of them. Iason watched in terror as if time were slowed down as the flames grew nearer and nearer with no escape. He suddenly felt weight upon him, then realized Riki was rolling over onto him to shield him from the fire.

Iason felt the heat from beneath the barrier Riki had made with his own body, using his last strength and pressing him into the earth so there was almost no gap between him and the charred wolf body for the flames to get him. After the light had faded, Iason struggled, trying to free himself from the dead weight that pinning him down. He managed to worm his way out from beneath Riki and stared into eyes that were once as dark and beautiful that were starting to lose their vibrancy. "Riki..." he choked.


	27. Crowned & United Forever

Riki opened his eyes, feeling a soothing embrace around him and looked up into beautifully blue eyes. "Iason...?" he whispered.

The man chuckled, a soft smiling adding to his exquisite appearance. "Close, but no."

Riki abruptly sat up, terror striking his heart. "Who are you? Where am I?" He observed the man in mainly white attire, realizing he looked familiar from something.

"There is no need to be alarmed," Leonard assured. "I am Iason's deceased parent, Leonard."

The mongrel's eyes widened and his heart nearly stopped. "Deceased...so I'm dead?" He looked all around in the mist around them. "I died?"

"You are pending death," Leonard explained. "Were, rather. I pulled you from the void."

"What do you want from me?"

Leonard's lips twitched in amusement. "I have been watching over my son and I have seen your relationship with him blossom."

Riki froze, glaring. "He made me a slave, what the fuck blossoming do you see?"

"If you thought of him as only your Master, why did you save him just now?" Leonard inquired. "You obviously feel something more."

"Whatever." Riki looked around. "Am I going to hell now or what?"

"No," Leonard denied. "I'm sending you back."

"What?"

Leonard stepped forward, grasping onto Riki's shoulders and holding him an arms length away. "I'm entrusting my son to you. I have waited and waited for the day he found someone just like you, and now it has arrived."

"Wait, what?" Riki sputtered.

"Please be a good partner to him," Leonard smiled, then pushed Riki away. "I look forward to the good things you two bring to the world."

Riki screamed as he stumbled backwards, falling through the mist.

—

"Riki!" Iason screamed, holding onto the burned and blistered body that was slowly morphing back into Human. "Riki, please, open your eyes!" He flinched as he felt a rumbling and looked up to see the Midas army charging down the hills towards them. The fleet was fairly large, but easily manageable. "Riki..."

Raoul strode over, kneeling down beside his brother as Katze walked by and headed into the open space. "Iason...you know that he was hit with—"

"Silence!" Iason hissed, pulling Riki into his lap and pressing his hands to Riki's chest and creating light. "He cannot die!"

Raoul grimaced and backed away, hurrying after Katze. "Are you prepared?"

Katze nodded and placed the stones down between them. "Reenta ligharmus!" he yelled, gesturing with his hands and causing the stones to light up. "You can help fight them off too."

"Understood."

"Canendius vertayl! Mesahei!"

Raoul paused, feeling the ground around them rumble just as the army was halfway across the territory upon their horses. He watched the ground glow a deep crimson and felt dread as dead ancestors dressed in their thick and traditional armor and horrifyingly disturbing masks and headpieces mimicking terrifying creatures from folklore started to rise up from the grass and then lined up and created a barrier with their bodies.

"Say it too," Katze whispered, watching as the army of the dead began to rise up swiftly and assume position, filling up the area quickly.

Raoul inhaled, then glared forward at the enemies charging in for the kill. "Canendius vertayl! Mesahei!"

A battle cry echoed out from the army around them, charging forward and attacking just as if they were alive. Several of the spirits jumped up, slicing through the horses and riders before continuing to the next one. Blood splattered on the ground after it flew through the air, weapons swished and clanked as the spirits fought just as they had before they perished. One spirit was sliced open and a beastly lion type creature jumped from it's insides and started mauling the poor attacker and moved on to the next one.

Raoul grabbed his sword, charging forward and stabbed the man coming towards him and then ripped out the blade and proceeded to decapitate the next man. He saw his sword's engravings glisten with a misty green light and smiled as he knew Katze had put a protection seal on the weapon so he would be unharmed.

"Riki," Iason whispered, feeling a faint heartbeat beneath the skin that was darkened with the poison. "Please, do not leave me, love..." He gasped as he felt it get stronger, but the mongrel didn't open his eyes. That meant that Riki's body was recovering and he was still alive. "Thank goodness..."

"Raaah!" an enemy screamed, sprinting towards Raoul who was in mid battle with another bunch of enemies, but then abruptly halted as an arrow flew through the air and pierced his neck.

Raoul looked back, seeing Iason rise, throwing the charred arrows and bow down and hurrying to his side with his own sword in hand to assist him. "Decide to join me, did you?"

Iason rolled his eyes, mercilessly stabbing a man who ran towards him. "You appeared to be struggling."

"Is the beast alive?" Raoul inquired, slicing through an enemies armor and cutting him in half.

"There is a heartbeat," Iason answered, dodging an attack and then killing off the man. "I couldn't sit by and let you reap all the glory."

"Always trying to best me, are you?"

Iason sliced an enemies legs, then Raoul stabbed his back and pierced through the other side. "That is what big brothers do best."

—

Riki felt himself falling endlessly, and then his body was engulfed in a feeling. It were as if his heartbeat were his body, everything was pulsing. It was painful, so very painful! It felt as if he were on fire and were a drum being thudded against.

You must continue. A soothing voice urged.

"Am I dead?"

No. You shall live a long time. You are far from death.

The fire immediately ceased, a wave of icy relief flooding over him and a gentle embrace cradling him. "Iason..." he whispered, then felt himself get sucked back to reality. Riki opened his eyes, his vision blurry and distorted, nearly making him vomit. He waited a long moment and then opened them again, hearing distorted shouting, and looked to see Iason and Raoul staring up at the sky with concern. He followed their gaze and saw a massive beast of a dragon, swooping down to attack.

"Fire!" a voice shouted.

Several arrows flew through the air as the remaining fleet members along with Raoul and Iason started to shoot at the beast. The arrows seemed to glow with a wispy blue mist, leaving trails through the sky before hitting and remaining inside the furious dragon that was growing ever so closer.

"It's not working!" Raoul screamed, shooting off another arrow. "Everyone aim for the eyes!"

The dragon swooped lower, it's eyes turning an all too familiar blue.

"Take cover!" Iason ordered.

A blinding blue light of the venomous flames shot forward where the men were standing a moment ago, completely obliterating everything in sight and then turning to orange flames that began to burn the ground, but quickly burned out as there was not much to burn. The dragon rammed straight into the corner of castle, sending debris flying through the air and pummeling the ground as it was scattered.

"Fire!"

Again, arrows flew threw the air, all piercing the dragon, but seemingly did no damage other than anger it further. It's body was suddenly engulfed in the wispy blue mist, causing it to shriek in pain and send a blast of fire in various directions. It thrashed around furiously, until the mist dissipated. As quickly as the dragon had suffered pain, it regain itself and swooped down, ready to disintegrate it's attackers.

"Again!"

"We are running out of arrows, Iason!" Raoul yelled, sending him last arrow straight to the beast's eyes and was appalled when it somehow deflected it. "Iason, we are out of options!"

Iason sent his last arrow through the air, gritting his teeth as the dragon was doing a wide loop to return and shoot another beam of fire towards them and go through the castle. "Fire!" he demanded. The last arrows glided through the air, doing nothing to stop the pending doom of the dragon that was now ready to return and destroy everyone. "Stand your ground!"

"Iason, this is suicide!" Raoul hissed, then jumped forward to Katze who suddenly collapsed to the ground, the last of his strength vanishing. "Iason!"

"No..." Riki whispered weakly, watching helplessly as his strength returned.

The dragon swooped low, readying itself to finally blow it's strongest wave of fire straight at the men. It looked straight at Iason as it opened it's mouth, it's eyes glowing brightly and it's bloodstained teeth glinting mildly in the light as it picked up speed and then slowed to ensure it disintegrated all of the men before it.

Thud!

An arrow coming from from another direction flew through the air, lodging itself sideways into the unsuspecting dragon's eye and deep into it's brain. The dragon immediately clamped it's mouth shut, screeching as it fell and slid across the ground while writhing in agony.

"Move!" Iason demanded, running as the dragon skidded across the grass, ripping up the earth under it's immense weight. Acting on impulse, he grabbed his sword, charging forward and climbing upon the beast to stab his weapon alongside the arrow that he swore was producing a black mist. He grunted and wedged the blade deep inside, wiggling it around as the dragon shrieked and tried to throw him off. "Oof!" He hit the dirt and looked up as the dragon began to spasm, before finally growing quiet and still.

"Are you all right?" Raoul demanded, dropping down beside him after ensuring Katze was all right.

"I'm fine," he answered, rising up and brushing off the dirt. "Who shot that arrow?"

The fleet members shook their heads, then pointed in the opposite direction. Iason glanced over, seeing an almost healed Riki who was awake and weakly holding a bow while panting. "Riki!" he screamed in relief, rushing over and then falling down next to him before hugging him. "Thank God, you're alive! I was so worried!"

Riki smiled feebly. "I ain't dying yet."

Iason stole the lips, kissing him with a fierce and desperate passion, overjoyed when Riki returned it. "You saved us, you saved me," he murmured, deepening the kiss further. "I love you, I love you, Riki."

Riki gasped, completely out of breath and light headed. "I...haa...just recovered...gonna suffocate..."

Iason pulled back, planting several kisses on the tanned face and throat, then just stared into those dark eyes. He felt nothing but sheer happiness and relief that they were full of life again. "I love you," he repeated.

"Yeah," Riki breathed, leaning back and closing his eyes. "I know..."

"Come, we need to get the residue off of you," Iason remembered, carefully starting to scoop up his mongrel.

"Katze?" Raoul whispered, planting a kiss on the sweat covered forehead. "Can you hear me?"

"Mnn," the redhead moaned, then opened his eyes. "Feel like I was hit with a..." He pondered what to say. "Stone wall..."

Raoul's lips twitched. "I have a remedy for that." He kissed the lips before him. "I'll fix you right up."

"You will?" Katze challenged weakly.

"Anything for you," Raoul answered, gently picking him up and carrying him alongside Iason and the fleet members who were entering back into the castle.

"Hurts," Riki moaned. "That dragon...hit me pretty hard..."

"I'll have Raoul get you the strongest pain remedy," the Prince promised, planting yet another kiss on the tanned forehead, ignoring the few stares of the people around him.

He carried Riki through the destroyed hallways, heading straight to his room where he could lay Riki down to rest while this mess was sorted out. Upon entering, he saw Jak hurry from his hiding spot, immediately taking action and preparing the bed and then grabbing a cloth to clean Riki off.

"I'll be right back," Iason murmured to Riki, laying him down then looked to Jak. "Watch him."

"Yes, Master," he answered softly. "I'm relieved to have both of you return."

Iason nodded, reaching out and ruffling the boy's hair. "Thank you."

Jak froze, then blushed as the Prince left him. He shook his head to clear his mind and focus before he began to clean Riki off as best as he could, but decided that he would require a bath to thoroughly and properly clean him. He hurried off to go fill the bathtub, entering into the separate room. His eyes filled with horror, his lips convulsing but no sound leaving them before he was pushed down.

"Riki, get out of here—!" he pleaded, fearing for his charge's life. He screamed loudly as the Centrochelomoloch started to rip him to pieces, slicing open his throat, blood splaying on the floor as the beast devoured a large portion of his neck before an intense pressure overtook his head which was crunched in between it's powerful jaws.

"Jak!" Riki screamed, jumping up but falling down to the floor. "Dammit! No!"

Upon hearing the screams, Iason ran back down the hall, grabbing a dead fleet member's weapon and charging into the room. Immediately he rushed forward, slicing through the beast with nothing but pure rage. He huffed and pushed the body off to the side, then looked over to Riki who was cradling Jak's mangled body, sobbing.

"No, no, no..." Riki whispered, his tears dripping down onto the boy's face that was ripped clean from the bone; his skull crushed and split, revealing his brain that was inside. "No..."

Iason felt sadness tighten his chest as he crouched down next to Riki, hugging him from behind. He was angry at himself for not ensuring the room was secure before leaving, as Riki could have been harmed as well. "Riki," he whispered. "He's gone, Riki."

"No," Riki choked. "He...he was the only one..." He buried his face into Iason's chest. "Why?"

The Prince simply hugged the mongrel tighter, then gently pried the tanned hands off the now growing cold and lifeless corpse. "Shh, Riki. I am sorry. He is gone, there is nothing we can do."

Riki sobbed louder, clutching onto the blonde and allowed himself to be picked up and carried back to the bed.

Iason kissed his forehead, covering him up with a blanket and then slowly walked over to Jak's body. He pulled a free blanket from the bed and draped it over top of the servant's body. "Thank you for all you have done, Jak."

—

Raoul examined Katze's nearly nude body while he sipped at the remedy drink. "It appears that all your external wounds have healed," he observed, then trailed his hand down the young man's chest. "There are no more blemishes on you."

Katze nodded, then accepted his tunic after setting the empty chalice aside. "Thank you."

"When you are dressed, we shall go check on the Queen," Raoul advised.

A knock on the door had Raoul covering up Katze's lower half with a sheet. "Yes?"

Iason peeked in. "I need a sedative and a pain reliever." He averted his gaze. "Riki just watched Jak get murdered by a Centrochelomoloch that was hiding in the bathroom."

Raoul nodded after a moment. "I'll see what I have..." He started to dig around through the shelves and produced two crystal containers. "Is there any hopes of saving the boy?"

"No," Iason answered. "The Centrochelomoloch crushed his skull and sliced his throat, which caused him to bleed out."

Raoul paused. "I see." He carried the containers to Iason. "My condolences."

Iason nodded. "Thank you."

"After we are finished here, we are going to check on Mother," Raoul explained. "Do you wish to join us?"

"I will after I have tended to Riki," Iason agreed, then turned on his heal to leave.

—

"Shh, Riki," Iason soothed. "Just drink this, and you'll feel better."

Riki curled into a tighter ball, refusing the aid. "He just...couldn't...so fast...didn't even..." he mumbled incoherently, sobbing still.

"Riki, you are not to blame," he assured, grasping onto the tanned chin. "You are not to blame, love. No one could have saved him."

"I...I could've..."

"You are weak, Riki. You were just about killed and miraculously survived."

"S—still."

Iason sighed. "Riki, please drink this." He pressed the edge of the container to the pale lips. "You will feel better."

Riki reluctantly sipped, doing so very slowly as he was still crying which made it harder. After he finished he handed it back, then accepted the next drink and sipped at it as well. He hiccuped, tears sliding down his cheeks that the Prince wiped away. "I'm...sorry..."

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Iason whispered. "You are mourning, frightened and injured." He laid Riki back against the bed. "Now please, allow your body to relax to heal completely. I'll bathe you when I return."

—

Katze had just finished changing, when another knock on the door had both his and Raoul's head turning. "Come," Raoul called.

"Your Highness, the Queen...! The Queen!" the maid frantically cried.

Raoul grabbed his supplies, bolting out of the room and towards the Queen's chamber. He hurried, cutting through the crowd that was told to emerge from the hiding place to find his Mother knocking on death's door despite all of their efforts. "I don't understand..." he growled in frustration. "We did everything...!" He rummaged through his supplies, producing another remedy in a container he pressed to Jupiter's lips.

Jupiter feebly brushed his hand away. "It's my time, Raoul..." she whispered. "Let me go..."

"No!" he hissed. "I will not!"

Jupiter simply smiled softly. "Stubborn child..."

Iason hurried down the steps. "How is she?" he huffed.

"Iason..." Jupiter whispered, her eyes glistening. "You two must promise me, you will depend...on each other and bring the lands...prosperity."

"Help me!" Raoul demanded to Iason. "I need to get her to drink these!"

"Mother..." Iason breathed, assisting Raoul only to have his Mother fight against him. "Why are you refusing?"

"I...I want to go," she revealed. "...Leonard...is waiting."

"He can wait longer!" Raoul insisted, trying once again to force her to drink the remedy.

"Why do you... deny me my one wish to be with my beloved?" she cried, pushing feebly against the hands. "I cannot...go on anymore without him!"

"Mother," Iason choked. "Why must you do this?"

"Iason," she whispered. "I'm sorry I have been harsh...to you, my Son."

"Don't..."

"Raoul, I wish you...success in everything you do."

"You can't die! You can't!" Raoul protested. "What are we supposed to do without you?"

"You...two will be fine," she smiled. "You always pull through...and make me proud..." Her breath caught, and her eyes filled with tears. "Le...Leo..."

"No!" Raoul screamed.

Iason grabbed onto Raoul, holding him back from helping. He fought against the struggling blonde trying to shake him off. "Let her go, Raoul! She is suffering! Can you...not see that?"

"We are going to suffer without her!" Raoul screamed angrily, trying to punch Iason in the face.

Jupiter's lips twitched into a soft smile. "Thank you...both. I will always...love you...no matter what..."

"Mother!" Raoul yelled, watching in horror as her body went limp. His lips convulsed as he stared in silent terror, then fell down to his knees and started to weep. "She's gone...she's gone..."

A gust of cold wind from nowhere seemed to glide through the air, twirling around both of them before disappearing suddenly. As if it were their mother's gentle hands caressing their faces as she said goodbye before joining Leonard's side.

Raoul suddenly leaped up, tackling Iason to the ground and tried to punch him in the face. "How could you?" he screamed. "You let her die!"

"She wanted to!" Iason defended, narrowly missing a fist to the face. "She has spent over twenty years alone Raoul! Twenty years!"

"She was our Mother!" he hissed. "And you let her die!"

"She will always be our Mother, but now she is our Mother—" He received a hard punch to the face, silencing him as he lost his train of thought and received another punch going the other way. He didn't resist, he let Raoul vent his frustration on him to save whoever else might endure his wrath. When he felt the shaking hands wrap around his throat, he grasped onto them, staring up into the furious and grief filled green eyes. "Ra...oul..."

Raoul was seething, his panting breath escaping through gnashed teeth. He looked down at Iason, his own brother and felt nothing but anger that he had refused to help save their own parent. He tightened his grip, watching as Iason did not resist. "You..." he hissed bitterly, but then the weight of his mourning and sadness hit him and he sobbed. "Y...you..."

Iason removed the trembling hands from his throat, and hugged his weeping brother. He tightened his hold on the trembling body, his own soon following as he began to cry as well. "I'm sorry...Raoul..." he whispered. "But we must..." He choked on his words, but quickly regained himself. "...be strong now. We have a kingdom to rule over and a disaster to clean up."

After a few moments, both of the Princes regained themselves and then looked to the lifeless body. "Let us carry her to the mourning chamber," Raoul suggested. "We will have to leave her body sealed off in the casket until we have repaired the damage. I'll put a holding..." He took a deep breath. "...seal upon her casket so her body does not decay."

Iason nodded, then proceeded to pick up his Mother's dead body. "Go first," he instructed to Raoul.

—

Daryl stared in horror at the body beneath the sheet, his eyes immediately filling with tears. "No..." he whispered, glancing up at Riki who had slowly approached him. "How...did this happen?"

Riki choked back his tears. "He was...attacked by a beast."

"A beast?" Daryl softly repeated, holding the cold body close. "Jak...my...my..."

"I'm so sorry...Daryl."

Daryl wept softly, then looked to Riki. "Why...are you still here?"

Riki blinked, confused.

"The Prince... is gone," Daryl whispered shakily. "The castle is in ruins and the guards are near nothing... why have you not run?"

"I...I..."

"Did you not wish to be free?"

"Why are you saying this?" Riki demanded, distressed.

Daryl was quiet for a moment, save for his sniffling. "That is all...Jak...talked about." He held Riki's gaze. "All he would talk about...is how painful it was to see you...locked up."

Riki took a step back. "B—but...things have changed. I...I saved Iason and killed that...Prince Andrew guy..."

"You killed a member of the royal family?"

"To save Iason!" he defend.

"And you think that crime will be forgiven?" Daryl breathed in disbelief. "Are you stupid? No matter what the case, murdering a royal family member is punishable with execution."

Riki's heart started to pound. "But...I was saving Iason!"

"That matters not," Daryl whispered. "As soon as word breaks out, everyone will demand justice and you...you will be executed. Iason will have no choice."

"...No..." Riki breathed in horror.

Daryl looked at him, directly in the eyes. "Run, Riki."

Riki felt sheer panic course through him, he turned and booked it to the balcony and leaped off, morphing into his younger wolf form and ran off. His oldest wolf form was still weakened, so he was unable to transform into it, but it was beneficial as he easily maneuvered through the rubble and bodies with his smaller form and sprinted off while no one was watching.

Daryl looked down at Jak's face, pulling the weapon that was covered in the Centrochelomoloch's blood and readying it. "Wait for me, Jak. I won't leave you alone..."

—

Iason carried Jupiter's body through the halls, several family members breaking into sobs as they laid eyes upon the dead Queen and beloved relative. The remaining servants bowing their heads in respect, while maids wept and gasped in horror. Raoul finally stepped aside as Katze came to his side, offering him some support.

He wished that Riki was with him, as he too needed some support despite his brave front he was putting on. He wanted to hold Riki in his arms, weep and have his beloved comfort him.

Finally arriving at the mourning chamber, he laid Jupiter down on the pedestal, inside the casket and then sealed it off. There was no time to clean her up and redress her, so she remained in what she passed away in. He rested his hand upon the glass casket for a moment, then turned and left to go find his own support—Riki.

—

Riki sprinted forward, panting heavily as his tired body pressed forward. He was heading back to the place he knew best, the Badlands. The lands where those who were undesirable remained until they died. He wanted to find someone he knew, he wished Guy or his Clan were alive. He leaped over a barrier, coming to an abrupt halt as he sniffed blood. It was fairly fresh. He ran his nose along the ground, flinching as a rain drop plunked right into his eye, but recovered and studied the fresh tracks from the Midas army who made their way through here. Had they killed people while passing through?

But something about the blood drew him in. There was something...familiar about it. His chest tightened as he padded towards an area that looked as if it had been constructed with very fine materials. Guard's bodies littered the outside of the walls that were stained with blood splatters and the heavy gated door was wide open. Very slowly, he stepped into the confined area and his heart clenched.

There inside the confined space were exactly what he was looking for—his Clan. Or what was left of them.

He was hit with a wave of nausea as the smell of death hit his sensitive nose in the breeze and the now showering rain. He vomited, his wolf body hunching over and spewing out what little contents were inside. Then a wave of sadness hit him hard, as he realized that his Clan had just perished mere hours ago. Iason hadn't killed them. Riki whimpered loudly, before arching his back to look up into the pouring rain and released the most heartbreaking howl that anyone would ever hear.

—

Iason stepped into the open, and paused as several of his family members looked to him.

"Iason," Aunt Maia whispered, slowly approaching him and then holding up his crown. "You must be crowned before dark."

A loud rumble of thunder had Iason flinch and look to the distance, but he recovered and nodded. "We'll forgo the ceremony," he agreed.

Aunt Maia slowly approached, and the others huddled together to witness the moment they had been awaiting. "Iason Mink, are you willing to take the Oath?"

"I am."

"Will you solemnly promise and swear to govern the Peoples of Tanagura and the surrounding lands within your reign?" she asked softly.

"I solemnly promise so to do."

"Will you to your power cause Law and Justice, in Mercy, to be executed in all your judgements?"

"I will," Iason answered, suddenly wishing Riki was with him this moment. He needed to be here to hear this!

"Will you to the utmost of your power maintain the Laws and individuality of others throughout your domain?" she inquired. "Will you to the utmost of your power maintain in keeping our lands peaceful and respect the earth beneath our feet? Will you maintain and preserve the lands ruled by your ancestors so that everyone will benefit from the fruits of their labor?"

"All this I promise to do," Iason answered. "The things which I have here before promised, I will perform, and keep. With the gods watching over me and guiding me in my decisions."

Aunt Maia nodded, then turned to the others. "You have heard the Oath of the man before you who is to be your King. Does anyone object or accuse him of falsifying?"

No one made a sound.

Aunt Maia turned back to Iason. "Iason Mink, I now Crown you the King of Tanagura." She placed the crown upon his head as he crouched lower for her to do so. "May your Mother and Father, along with all of your ancestors, your living relatives and your most treasured people support and guide you from this day onward." She bowed then once again looked to the others. "Bow before your new King."

—

Riki plodded along the Badlands, going nowhere. He was completely ruined inside. There was truly nothing for him anymore. He had lost everything, again. More than anything he wished to return to Iason, but with the fear of his execution hanging over him, he could not. He desperately wished that it was a lie and he could stay by the Prince's side and complete his new job. The one he had trained so hard to do; the one he had enjoyed training for alongside the Prince.

Exhausted, he plunked down in a cave, ignoring the chill that had taken over him from being drenched by the rain.

You've run away?

Leave me alone, Riki demanded to the spirit.

Why have you run away when there was nothing to run from?

Riki snarled loudly in annoyance, hoping to scare away the nuisance. Leave me!

The voice disappeared for a long moment, then said the final line. You will regret leaving the man whom you have come to love.

—

Iason looked out to the crowd. "My first declaration as King, is that Raoul," he started, looking to him. "Will also be King. He will be the Secondary King, and we shall rule together."

Raoul nearly fell down, but Katze steadied him. There was no way there could be two Kings! "Iason..." he whispered in disbelief.

"We shall crown him when this mess has been remedied," Iason declared. "My second declaration as King is that from this moment onward, mongrel, half blood and any other hybrid are to be treated as if they were citizens from the Middle class," he continued. "The barriers of the class system will be refined, so that there is less poverty."

There was no response or objection from the crowd, but rather intrigued listening.

"My third declaration as King is that, Riki, the mongrel who you all know as my slave shall have his position terminated." He watched the confused expressions of his relatives. "From this day forward, he is my partner, my beloved."

Several shocked gasps sounded from the others. Never had a King had a male partner! How was the bloodline to continue?

"Does anyone object?" he challenged.

A moment passed. "What happened to Prince Andrew?" a voice inquired.

Iason hesitated, knowing if he said Riki did it he would have to execute him. "He was killed by a beast while I was trying to revive Jupiter."

There was a soft murmur, but no one accused him of lying or anything. They would never know it was Riki.

"Now then," Iason concluded. "We shall evacuate this castle and head to the Fort, as it is unsafe to stay here. Please gather whatever you can from the ruins as quickly as you can and then meet outside so we can travel in a group to the safer areas." He watched as the crowd nodded and several moved to gather up anything they could salvage and then wait outside.

"Iason," Raoul breathed, approaching him. "There cannot be—"

"There shall," he denied. "We were meant to rule together and we shall."

Raoul hesitated then nodded. "We will discuss this more later."

Iason nodded, then walked past him and navigated through the rubble to his bedroom. He burst through the door, finally reunited with his love. "Riki—" he started, but the words tumbled out of his mouth. He stared at Daryl's lifeless body that was hugging onto Jak, then his gaze shifted to the empty bed and the open balcony doors as thunder rumbled in the distance. His knees gave out and he crumpled to the floor, fighting against the hurt that was pummeling his heart. "Why...why have you abandoned me, love?"

—

Riki whimpered, curling up into a tighter ball to battle against the cold. He wanted nothing more than to run back to the warmth of Iason's bed, the fireplace, their body's heat as they had sex.

Iason... he whimpered.

Why do you cry for him when you ran away?

It's complicated! Riki growled bitterly.

You love him, yet you deny the truth. You are running from reality, Riki.

I'm not—

YOU ARE!

Riki flinched from the loud voice. Was that true? He supposed it was. He had fallen for Iason; his beautiful, ruthless, and kind captor who had pulled him from the execution line once before. There was no way Iason would allow him to be slaughtered. He rose to his feet, but flinched at the brutal storm outside. I will return, when it is safe to do so.

—

Iason hurried down the halls. "Raoul!" he called, tossing his crown to his brother. "Make sure everyone gets to the Fort!"

"Where are you going?" Raoul demanded, almost not catching it.

"I must find him," Iason vowed, exiting the castle and hurrying over the the stables to see if there were any horses alive. He ran as fast as he could across the body covered lands, and finally reached his destination. He spotted the very last horse in the very far corner and was relieved that it was one he was familiar with.

"Iason!" Raoul yelled, charging after him. "There is a storm coming, you cannot go!"

"I must!" Iason insisted, saddling the horse quickly and then hopping on. "Raoul, I need him in order to rule. He is a part of me now!"

"Iason," Raoul pleaded. "Stay."

"Make sure everyone gets to the Fort, I will return as soon as I can!" he assured, nudging the horse's side and then bolting out of the stable and navigating through a pathway surrounded by death. "You shall no longer fear being by my side, Riki."

—

Riki watched the rain pour down, wishing he hadn't run off in the first place. He should've trusted Iason more, but he could not deny that what Daryl had said was true. He sighed deeply, resting his head against the cold stone. The sound of the rain pounding the ground and the wind blowing violently was all he could hear, nothing else.

His tail twitched, and his ears perked while his fur bristled. He listened harder, swearing he could hear the wind speaking. It was eerie as hell, like a spirit screaming his name. He instinctively growled, approaching the edge of the cave and stuck his nose out and strained his ears.

"Riki...!"

He flinched in horror as the winds seemed to be screaming his name. Maybe he was losing his mind? He strained his ears harder.

"Riki!"

Now for sure, he could hear something calling him through the storm. But who would be out in this weather? His heart clenched as he leaped out of the cave and howled loudly, piercing through the barrier of the storm.

Iason turned his head, catching the tail end of the howl and urging his horse through the storm. A sudden bolt of lightning sent the horse rearing up and tossed him off. He hit the ground with a thud and the horse ran off, leaving him. After a moment of being stunned, he rose up and yelled into the rain. "Riki!" A dark figure suddenly grew nearer through the thick rain, and his heart leaped with joy as he moved towards it. "Riki!"

The wolf crept closer, snarling and growling while it's body was dripping wet.

"...Riki?" Iason slowly called into the rain, watching in confusion. "I understand you are afraid and probably upset, but I assure you..."

The wolf continued to approach, it's eyes pinned on it's prey.

Iason then realized this wasn't Riki and was filled with dread, as he had used up almost all of his strength and had no weapons. He would have pulled his clothes out more to make himself appear bigger, but everything was plastered to his body due to being soaked in the rain. He backed up, right into a rocky barrier.

Suddenly, another dark figure leaped out of nowhere and in front of him, challenging the wolf. It snarled viciously, puffing out it's fur and growing in size while assuming a dominant stance. It stepped towards the wolf, suddenly growing even larger and flashing it's massive teeth at the enemy— it was a beast Iason knew all too well. The other wolf growled, but turned tail and ran off seeing it was doomed to lose a fight with the brute.

The wolf huffed in satisfaction, then shrank down a bit before twisting around to face the Prince.

Iason stared at him. "Riki...?"

Yes.

Iason rushed forward, embracing the soaking wet beast and burying his face into the fur and feeling a fast heartbeat beneath it. "Oh Riki, why did you leave me?"

Riki was quiet for a moment, You're not going to execute me...?

"No, no, love," Iason assured, looking into the dark eyes. "No one knows you killed Prince Andrew."

So I can come back with you?

"Yes," Iason answered, kissing the black, wet nose.

Riki growled, growing larger again, before carefully grasping onto Iason with his teeth and throwing him on his back and hurrying back to his safe spot in the cave and leaping inside. He had felt the Prince's lack of body heat when his lips touched his sensitive nose. You're frozen!

"I—It...it is raining," Iason reminded, shivering.

Riki hurried to another spot, shaking out his fur so he was dry then padded back and curled around Iason. Here, if we stick together we'll get warm. He squeezed into a tight ball around the Prince, pressing his fur against him.

"T—Thank you," he whispered, burying himself into the warmth. "You...you are so warm, love."

Talk after you're warm.

Iason nodded, enjoying the feeling of the heat returning to his body and the closeness with his wolf cub. He closed his eyes and relaxed, drifting off.

—

When he opened his eyes, Riki was transformed back as a Human and his cloak was dried and wrapped around both of them. "Riki," he whispered, kissing the tanned forehead and eyeing up the nude body.

Riki opened his eyes. "You're alive. I was worried..."

"I am fine, thank you," he assured. "Come closer."

Riki obeyed after allowing a moment to pass to prove to Iason he was still defiant, crawling up onto Iason's lap. "What do you want?"

Iason reached into his pocket and pulled something out. "Let me see your hand."

Riki extended his right hand, but Iason pushed it away.

"Left one."

Raising an eyebrow, he obeyed and looked at Iason with wonder. "What are you doing?"

"Riki," Iason breathed, grasping onto it. "From this day onward, you are no longer my slave."

Riki blinked. "What?"

"You are now my partner," Iason explained, gently sliding a ring onto the tanned finger. "You now have the status of royalty you are no longer at risk of being harmed for being a mongrel and..." He kissed the ring. "You are my lover, my equal and spouse until death do us part."

Riki was stunned, glancing down at the ring and then Iason. "A...are you serious?" he whispered.

"I have never been more serious in my life," Iason answered. "Will you accept me, my lovely wolf cub?"

The mongrel stared into those blue eyes really hard, then pressed his lips against Iason's initiating a hard and passionate kiss. "Yes," he gasped. "Yes...I accept..."

Iason smiled, wrapping his arms around Riki, pulling their bodies flush in a heated embrace. "I love you, Riki."

"I..." he gasped, holding back tears of happiness. "I love you too..."

—

Riki looked down. This is it, huh?

"Yes," Iason smiled. "There is no going back now."

Riki shifted slightly, uneasy.

"Are you getting cold feet, wolf cub?" Iason inquired, reaching out and petting a patch of fur. "Do you not wish to be my partner and right hand anymore?"

It's not that.

"What's wrong then?"

I'm not gonna have to be...turned into a stuck up...noble am I? Am I still gonna be me?

Iason laughed at Riki's concern for remaining true to his roots while undergoing a status change.

It's not funny.

"You will always be you," Iason smiled. "Nothing will ever change that, nor do I wish that to change."

Riki huffed. Good.

"Are you ready, love?"

Yes.

"Then let us go," Iason smiled. "Our new lives await us."


	28. Afterward

Riki slipped back into his Human form, then followed behind Iason while wrapped in his cloak. "I'm not sure about this..." he hesitated.

"Come," Iason whispered, scooping him up into his arms. "The others will all be asleep, therefore we can quickly go to our room."

Riki started to protest at being carried, but Iason hushed him and slipped inside the Fort.

"There you are!" Raoul growled, hurrying over to him. "I waited all night for you to return!"

"I said I would come back, Raoul." He carried Riki down the halls, past his brother and toward their bedroom. "Go to sleep, we are going to rest as well. We will talk in the morning."

Raoul huffed, but did just that, walking to the room where Katze was recovering and sleeping.

Iason laid Riki down on the bed, then began to strip himself of his clothing. "Get under the covers," he instructed softly.

Riki slipped under the blankets and soon was joined by Iason, who spooned up behind him. He frowned, his eyes focusing on an object resting on the bedside table. "I...is that...?"

Iason followed his gaze. "Yes, that is my crown."

The mongrel flipped around to stare into the blue eyes. "You're King now?" he gawked.

"I am."

"And I missed it!"

"You most certainly did," Iason sighed. "And then I couldn't find you."

Riki flinched. "...I'm sorry."

Iason hugged him tighter from behind. "That matters not now. You are here, and now are my beautiful partner."

"T...there's not a ceremony for that, right?"

"Usually there is," Iason answered with a smile. "Do you not want one?"

"I don't...need one," Riki answered, bringing his hand up and admiring the ring upon his finger. "I have this."

Iason's smile widened. "So easily content, are you?" He rubbed against Riki's lower half. "Then at least allow me to make love to you."

Riki gasped in pleasure. "B...but it's almost morning! And...and..."

"It matters not what time it is," Iason denied in a whisper, nuzzling into the tanned nape. "I want you."

—

Katze opened his eyes, seeing the blonde enter the room. "H...hey..."

Raoul smiled, then slipped into bed with the redhead. "How are you feeling?"

"A bit better," Katze assured, still tired and sore. "Are you gonna sleep now?"

"Yes," he agreed, stripping and then snuggling up to the redhead. "You are so warm."

Katze smiled softly, leaning into the embrace, but then frowned as he felt something slide on his finger from Raoul. "What...?" He pulled his left hand free and gasped in awe at the ring that had been placed upon it.

"I told you you'd be my partner," Raoul reminded, kissing the confused lips. "Now nothing will come between us and our mission."

—

Riki grumbled under his breath, swatting the book away. There were way too many elegant manners and etiquette he had to learn.

"Sir Riki," the servant sighed. "You must learn these. King's orders."

"The King can jump off the balcony for all I care if he thinks I give a damn about this shit!" Riki growled.

The servant paled. "S...sir Riki."

"Who should jump off the balcony?" Iason inquired, leaning in the doorway.

"You lied!" Riki hissed, jumping up and charging forward. "You said I'd still be me!"

"You will be you," Iason assured, capturing both hands of the upset mongrel. "Just more refined."

Riki's teeth clenched. "I don't want to be refined."

"Your actions reflect upon me, wolf cub," Iason reminded. "You must behave as expected."

Riki grumbled, turning away from the King and heading over to the balcony and leaned against the ledge.

Iason looked to the servant. "You may go, Cal. And check on the half blood, the maids were fussing with him the last I saw him."

"Yes, your Majesty."

The King smiled, looking to his tanned beauty standing in the sunshine on the balcony. His features outlined by a snug fitting, long sleeved shirt that Iason rather enjoyed seeing him in rather than a baggy tunic. He slipped beside Riki, following his gaze to the lands beyond. "Now that everything has been restored, how does it feel to know that you rule alongside me and protect these lands?"

Riki snorted. "I haven't done anything yet. And you still haven't paid me."

Iason set down a fabric pouch in front of the mongrel, grinning as it clinked against the stone ledge and caused the mongrel to jolt. "As you wish. Here is your payments for your assistance during the battle and saving me."

Riki blinked, looking up at him. "Seriously?" He looked back to the fabric drawstring bag in disbelief. There had to be well over one thousand dollars in heavy coins in here, an impossible amount for someone with his background.

"Spend it as you please."

Riki nodded. "T...Thanks."

"And now how do you feel?" Iason queried, moving closer to the mongrel.

The mongrel averted his gaze, then looked out to the lands under Iason's power. "Now that the previous incident has passed and we've recovered?"

"Yes."

Riki looked a moment longer to the once again prospering lands and then directly into Iason's eyes and held his gaze. "Makes you wonder what will happen next..."

—

THE END


End file.
